State Rep. David Zimmerman (R-Lancaster) has been ordered to pay $14,000 in fines after an investigation found he used his previous position as township supervisor to further a land deal that he and his brother had financial interests in.

The Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission announced yesterday that Zimmerman failed to disclose his conflicts of interest.

LNP | LancasterOnline reports that Zimmerman has “accepted responsibilities and the penalties.”

The ethics commission wrote that “Zimmerman used the authority of his public position as supervisor/roadmaster for East Earl Township to advance and/or expedite Township approvals of the Wildflower Ridge LLC development, a business with which a member of his immediate family was associated,” according to LNP | LancasterOnline.

In a written statement yesterday, he told LNP | LancasterOnline that he did “not make myself adequately familiar with the requirements regarding the reporting of investments.”

“Although I regularly reported all personal investments that were sources of income, the Wildflower investment resulted only in financial losses,” Zimmerman said in the statement.“I now understand I should have reported all investments, regardless of whether they were profitable, and recused myself from taking official actions as a township supervisor. I apologize, I have accepted the sanctions, and I will not make such mistakes again.”

Zimmerman cruised to re-election earlier this year by defeating Democrat Elizabeth Malarkey to earn a third term representing the 99th state House District.

For further information about the specifics of the ethics violation, read the following story from LNP | LancasterOnline.

LNP | LancasterOnline: State Rep. David Zimmerman ordered to pay $14,000 for ethics violation