CALDWELL, Idaho — The Idaho Attorney General’s Office is reviewing a complaint filed by Caldwell mayoral candidate Eric Phillips, who accuses his opponent, Councilman Brad Doty, and developer Lee Gientke of possible bribery, unlawful campaign financing, and misuse of public funds.
Records sent to Idaho News 6 show Phillips filed the complaint in August, alleging Gientke promised $165,000 to Doty’s mayoral campaign while seeking $175,000 in Urban Renewal Agency funding for a housing project. The complaint claims the timing and amounts create the appearance of a quid pro quo arrangement.
READ MORE | Caldwell mayoral candidate accuses opponent of improper campaign funds
According to emails, Canyon County Prosecutor Chris Boyd referred the matter to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, which agreed to handle the investigation. Criminal investigator David Cushing later met with Phillips in Caldwell to review the complaint.
On Sept. 29, Gientke’s attorney sent Phillips a cease-and-desist letter, calling his claims “false and defamatory.”
Phillips later emailed investigators reporting what he described as witness intimidation after an Oct. 14 political event in Caldwell. Phillips said Gientke confronted Caldwell City Councilor Diana Register about the bribery allegations. Register added that she felt threatened during the exchange and planned to consult the city attorney.
On Wednesday, Gientke filed a civil lawsuit against Phillips in Canyon County District Court, accusing him of defamation. The complaint, filed by attorneys with Stoel Rives LLP, alleges Phillips “concocted a sensationalist story” and made false statements to media outlets, on Facebook, and in a report to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office.
According to the lawsuit, Gientke’s project—an attainable housing development in one of Caldwell’s poorest areas—was approved by the Caldwell Urban Renewal Agency and later by the Caldwell City Council after 18 public meetings. The filing states public records show Gientke has not made any campaign donations to Doty and that Phillips’s claims were made “with actual malice” and “reckless disregard for the truth.”
In a press release issued Thursday, Gientke said Phillips’s statements were “false, defamatory, and libelous,” and that they caused harm to his professional and personal reputation. The lawsuit seeks general and special damages, attorney’s fees, and injunctive relief requiring Phillips to retract the statements.
The Attorney General’s Office has not released further details about the status of its review. Idaho News 6 will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
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