WASHINGTON — Rep. James Traficant's campaign committee has been fined $3,000 for filing a pre-election campaign finance report eight days late last year, the Federal Election Commission said Monday.

        FEC penalties are determined by the number of days the report is late, the amount of financial activity involved and whether the report was due in the days just before an election.

        Last year's campaign finance report covering Oct. 1-18 was due Oct. 26, or 12 days before the Nov. 7 election. The Traficant for Congress committee submitted the report Nov. 3, the FEC said.

        Because the report was late, voters had less time to review how much money Mr. Traficant, D-Ohio, raised just before the election and how he spent the money, the FEC said.

        Mr. Traficant's office said Monday the fine had been appealed because the FEC notice for the report was sent to the congressman's Youngstown home in stead of the campaign office, and the treasurer responsible for the report had just had surgery and a death in his family.

        “It was a very difficult time for the staff,” spokesman Charles Straub said. He said the fine was paid shortly after the appeal was denied.

        Mr. Traficant was one of six congressional candidates and two political action committees fined Monday. The FEC has collected $398,436 from 290 cases since Congress authorized the fines in 1999.

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