JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder says thousands of dollars of campaign funds were misspent by former aides and he has referred the matter to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Kinder’s gubernatorial campaign released a statement Friday saying that an internal investigation found that former contractors had prepared incorrect reports to the Missouri Ethics Commission “to conceal unauthorized payments and expenditures.”

Kinder’s statement did not identify the former contactors at issue.

U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan said his office received information from Kinder’s campaign, but the committee itself is not under investigation.

Kinder’s campaign says it was tipped off to “financial discrepancies” dating back several years shortly after he announced in July that he was entering the governor’s race.