Alabama Gov Allegedly Dropped Some Serious Dough On Burner Phones

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley’s (R) campaign committee spent a whopping $1,732.68 on “cell phones and prepaid wireless” at a Best Buy in 2015, according to campaign finance reports acquired by AL.com.

The charges lend credence to the publication’s Thursday story alleging that the governor used burner phones to communicate with a former top aide with whom he’s been accused of having an affair.

The campaign finance reports note that the purchases were made on May 9 and May 30 of 2015, bolstering the accounts of two anonymous Tuscaloosa Best Buy employees—one former and one current—who each told AL.com that they sold a single burner phone to the Alabama governor last year.

The cheap AT&T flip phone models the employees said Bentley purchased retail for about $15 each, according to the report, indicating that the remaining funds were probably used to buy pre-paid minutes for the cell phones.

The publication reached out to Bentley’s office for comment but did not receive a response.

Bentley’s use of multiple phones fits in with the account of former Alabama Law Enforcement Agency head Spencer Collier, who was fired by the governor last week. On the day of his dismissal, the law enforcement official blew the lid off of long-simmering reports of an affair between Bentley and his former chief advisor, Rebekah Mason, claiming to have proof of the “inappropriate” relationship they allegedly conducted.

Collier told AL.com last week that Bentley preferred to communicate via text message, and often changed his cell phone.

The Alabama Ethics Commission has launched an investigation into the relationship between Bentley and Mason, who resigned on Wednesday in order to spend time with her family.

This story has been updated.