Ex-Wexler Aide Pleads Guilty in Kickback Case

Daniella Howard, an aide and fundraiser to former U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, has pleaded guilty to not reporting a $15,000 kickback she received for helping steer her boss's campaign into a real estate investment, the Broward Bulldog investigative news website of Broward County, Fla., reports.

Howard, who was on the Florida Democrat's campaign payroll as recently as late last year, received one year of probation for failing to disclose the income to the Internal Revenue Service. The federal judge who sentenced her on Friday also ordered her to pay a $3,200 fine.

Wexler, once a rising star in liberal Democratic circles, resigned from Congress early last year. He announced he was stepping down shortly after federal agents began interviewing people about his campaign finances. The subject of the inquiry was a real-estate investment deal that earned Howard the unreported $15,000.