Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office is still looking for an explanation for reimbursement checks written to Miller from his campaign and for a series of rent payments that his campaign made to help cover the costs of his private office across from the Statehouse.

The letter that Brunner's office sent to Miller on Friday is the latest in a multiyear effort by the office to piece together what the Columbus Democrat has been spending his money on, and whether there was illegal conversion of campaign money for personal use.

The Ohio Elections Commission fined Miller $1,500 a year ago, after the veteran legislator failed to submit six years' worth of campaign-finance reports.

After Miller made multiple attempts to clean up those reports, Brunner's office filed a new complaint against him on Feb. 13, accusing him of failing to keep accurate reports and properly fix them.

More complaints are likely to be filed against Miller if he can't properly answer questions in the secretary of state's latest audit letter by March 13.

"We expect to respond to the secretary of state very quickly, and we think we can fully explain the questions," said attorney Donald J. McTigue, who is representing Miller. "We believe we can reconcile them fairly easily."

J. Curtis Mayhew, Brunner's campaign-finance administrator, wants Miller to explain what appear to be a number of duplicate payments with which the campaign paid off a credit card and also reimbursed Miller directly for expenses.

Mayhew wants to know who was responsible for making those payments and why Miller was reimbursed for expenses paid by his private company, Professional Employment Services of America.

Mayhew also is questioning $27,675 worth of lease payments that Miller's campaign committee paid over 18 months for office space at Huntington National Bank that Miller also shared with his private business and nonprofit organizations.

Mayhew wrote that other people or entities appear to have made lease payments on behalf of the committee, but the campaign did not disclose any in-kind contributions.

The letter also wants to know about a $233 check written to Miller in May 2002.

Miller gave a copy of the canceled check to the secretary of state's office in February 2003, but the check did not show why it had been issued. He issued a new copy of the canceled check in May 2008; this time, it read "Marty's Birthday Lunch" on the memo line.

Miller said the payment reimbursed him for the cost of a staff lunch celebrating his wife's birthday. But the receipt submitted for that lunch totaled only $108, was for only two guests at Mitchell's Steakhouse, and was time-stamped at 11:42 p.m. The remainder of the reimbursement was explained on a handwritten note adding $25 and $100 expenditures.

jsiegel@dispatch.com