Skip to main content
Tags: NORTHAM | POL | US | WORLD

FBI Probes Campaign Donations to Sen. Susan Collins

FBI Probes Campaign Donations to Sen. Susan Collins
(Getty)

Tuesday, 18 May 2021 06:50 PM EDT

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been reviewing a possible scheme to funnel illegal donations to the 2020 re-election campaign of U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, recently unsealed court records in Washington show.

The FBI is investigating whether Martin Kao, the former chief executive officer for Hawaii-based contractor Martin Defense Group, illegally donated money to the senator’s campaign, according to a search-warrant application filed in federal court in April. The contractor has offices in Maine, as well as other locations.

An FBI agent alleged in a court affidavit that Kao used a shell company to make a $150,000 donation to the campaign and reimbursed family members for smaller donations to Collins. Under federal law, government contractors are prohibited from making donations to political committees. So-called “straw” donations in which a contributor uses someone else’s money are also illegal.

Annie Clark, a spokeswoman for Collins, said the senator’s campaign “had absolutely no knowledge of anything alleged in the warrant.”

A lawyer for Kao did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The donations to Collins’ campaign under investigation were a small percentage of the more than $30 million in receipts her campaign raised in the last cycle. Outside PACs on both sides spent many millions more in one of the most expensive Senate races in the country.

In August 2019, Collins announced that Martin Defense Group, then known as Navatek, had received an $8 million Department of Defense contract. A press release on her website said she “strongly advocated” for the funding.

Kao, a prominent Hawaii defense contractor, was indicted last year on charges that he bilked the federal government out of millions of dollars in coronavirus relief aid intended for small businesses.

© Copyright 2024 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.


Politics
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been reviewing a possible scheme to funnel illegal donations to the 2020 re-election campaign of U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, recently unsealed court records in Washington show.The FBI is investigating whether...
NORTHAM, POL, US, WORLD
285
2021-50-18
Tuesday, 18 May 2021 06:50 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved