Cuccinelli announced the contribution in a video to political supporters Tuesday. He said in an Associated Press interview that he wrote a personal check to a Richmond ministry serving the poor and will not be reimbursed.
Cuccinelli received gifts and trips worth $18,000 from the supplements maker Star Scientific and its CEO, Jonnie Williams.
Williams is the same donor whose giving to Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell prompted McDonnell to apologize and return more than $145,000 in gifts and loans. The gifts to McDonnell prompted a federal criminal investigation of the governor and whether Williams or his company benefited as a result.