Politicians Involved in Fiesta Bowl Fiasco?

PHOENIX - To prevent corruption, according to Arizona law, lawmakers have to report any gifts with a value over $500.

But according to the Fiesta Bowl report, several members of the Arizona House and Senate received all-expense paid trips to college football games around the country, valued at thousands of dollars, and many of them failed to report it.

If true, more than a dozen current and former state lawmakers, on both sides of the aisle, could find themselves in trouble for accepting free tickets to sporting events from Fiesta Bowl lobbyists.

Senate Ethics Committee Chairman Ron Gould says there will be an investigation.

"You're talking about my integrity now, as to whether I have the integrity to go after wrongdoing, regardless of whether it's a Senate page or Senate President," says Gould.

According to the internal report into Fiesta Bowl spending, State Senate President Russell Pearce was one of the lawmakers who accepted tickets for football weekends in Boston and Chicago.

Gould says even though it may be legal, lawmakers accepting gifts and trips from lobbyists leaves a bad impression.

"Because when you really look at it, that's what's going on. When people give you things, they're either trying to cozy up to you for the future or they're trying to sway you, and people need to bear that in mind."

The worst punishment a senator could face by the Ethics Committee is to be kicked out of the Senate, but Gould pointed out there could also be criminal investigations into lawmakers for taking gifts without reporting them, and that investigation would take priority.

We learned Thursday night that four senators have filed amended expense reports saying they did indeed receive gifts of over $500 from the Fiesta Bowl.

The reports were filed by Republican Sen. John McComish of Phoenix, Democratic Sen. Paula Aboud of Tucson and Democratic Sens. Robert Meza and Steve Gallardo of Phoenix.

The four didn't list in earlier reports that they received gifts from the bowl, but now say they each got a gift worth more than $500 during one year.

Politicians who received all-expense paid trips from Fiesta Bowl

October 2005 trip to Chicago:

Sen. Linda Aguirre (Democrat)
Sen. Robert Blendu (Republican)
Sen. Russell Pearce (Republican)
Rep. Linda Lopez (Democrat)

October 2008 trip to Boston:

Sen. Robert Blendu (Republican)
Rep. David Bradley (Democrat)
Rep. Rich Crandell (Republican)
Rep. Linda Lopez (Democrat)
Rep. David Lujan (Democrat)
Rep. Robert Meza (Democrat)
Sen. Russell Pearce (Republican)
Rep. Michelle Reagan (Republican)
Sen. Thayer Verschoor (Republican)

2009 trip to Dallas:

Sen. Russell Pearce (Republican)
Rep. Linda Lopez (Democrat)