Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez violated House ethics rules by accepting over $3,700 in gifts related to her appearance at the 2021 Met Gala, according to a House Ethics Committee report. The items included her now-famous “Tax The Rich” dress, as well as shoes, jewelry, a handbag, and hair accessories. Although she eventually repaid $990.76, the committee found both the acceptance of the gifts and the delayed repayment improper under House rules. Her boyfriend, Riley Roberts, also received a free $35,000 ticket to the event, which violates ethics rules unless the invitation comes directly from the event’s official host — in this case, not the Met Museum but Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

Several vendors went unpaid for months, with some threatening legal action. These delays led to subpoenas and a more than three-year investigation by the Ethics Committee. The report found that Ocasio-Cortez’s former campaign manager attempted to reduce the dress cost from $1,300 to $300 and left a $477 hairstyling bill unpaid for nearly six months.

While the committee found no evidence of intentional misconduct by Ocasio-Cortez herself, it criticized her staff’s handling of the situation. The panel concluded that her actions violated House rules, federal law, and general ethical standards. Despite this, it decided against issuing formal sanctions.

Instead, the committee required Ocasio-Cortez to repay an additional $2,733.28 to the designer and $250 for her boyfriend’s dinner at the event. The case will be considered closed once these payments are completed.

AOC’s office issued a statement accepting the committee’s findings. Her lawyer explained that the team had tried to keep expenses low, but that many vendors assumed Met Gala attendees typically didn’t pay for such items. Her staff’s mismanagement, rather than willful wrongdoing, was the primary issue cited in the investigation.