California CEO and Seven Others Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Conduit Campaign Contribution Case
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed against the CEO of an online payment processing company, and seven others, charging them with conspiring to make and conceal conduit and excessive campaign contributions, and related offenses, during the U.S. presidential election in 2016 and thereafter.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted Ahmad “Andy” Khawaja, 48, of Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 7, 2019, along with George Nader, Roy Boulos, Rudy Dekermenjian, Mohammad “Moe” Diab, Rani El-Saadi, Stevan Hill and Thayne Whipple. The 53 count indictment charges Khawaja with two counts of conspiracy, three counts of making conduit contributions, three counts of causing excessive contributions, 13 counts of making false statements, 13 counts of causing false records to be filed, and one count of obstruction of a federal grand jury investigation. Nader is charged with conspiring with Khawaja to make conduit campaign contributions, and related offenses. Boulos, Dekermenjian, Diab, El-Saadi, Hill, and Whipple are charged with conspiring with Khawaja and each other to make conduit campaign contributions and conceal excessive contributions, and related offenses.
According to the indictment, from March 2016 through January 2017, Khawaja conspired with Nader to conceal the source of more than $3.5 million in campaign contributions, directed to political committees associated with a candidate for President of the United States in the 2016 election. By design, these contributions appeared to be in the names of Khawaja, his wife, and his company. In reality, they allegedly were funded by Nader. Khawaja and Nader allegedly made these contributions in an effort to gain influence with high-level political figures, including the candidate. As Khawaja and Nader arranged these payments, Nader allegedly reported to an official from a foreign government about his efforts to gain influence.
The indictment also alleges that, from March 2016 through 2018, Khawaja conspired with Boulos, Dekermenjian, Diab, El-Saadi, Hill, and Whipple to conceal Khawaja’s excessive contributions, which totaled more than $1.8 million, to various political committees. Among other things, these contributions allegedly allowed Khawaja to host a private fundraiser for a presidential candidate in 2016 and a private fundraising dinner for an elected official in 2018.
The indictment further alleges that, from June 2019 through July 2019, Khawaja obstructed a grand jury investigation of this matter in the District of Columbia. Knowing that a witness had been called to testify before the grand jury, Khawaja allegedly provided that witness with false information about Nader and his connection to Khawaja’s company. Boulos, Diab, Hill, and Whipple also are charged with obstructing the grand jury’s investigation by lying to the FBI.
Currently, Nader is in federal custody on other charges.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. It merely alleges that crimes have been committed. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office is investigating the case and Deputy Chief John D. Keller and Trial Attorneys James C. Mann and Michael J. Romano of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
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To be fair it looks like they were (or at least Nader was) playing both sides of the political spectrum.
Further down the article.
Both sides know about this and do the same damn thing. It is pay for play, and it is flat our wrong no matter who is doing it.
I commend the DOJ on clearing the foreign campaign swamp a little; but does anyone think these are the only bad actors out there throwing around foreign money for access?
Have to agree with you for once. Haha
This is a drop in the bucket.
Unfortunately. Don't expect either party to turn whistleblower on these "benefactors" either. "Take the money and keep yours mouths shut", is their mantra. They will simply play dumb when/if they are ever caught.
Like you said, I am sure there are plenty more out there.
When a candidate has to have a shit ton of money just to run, I don't think they care where the money or help comes from.
On a personal note, I always think people that give money to candidates are rubes. When they have millions in pacs and in their coffers, they sure as hell don't need any of my money.
Better off giving what little I can to St Jude's.
Interesting. Barr is on the move. Is he Trump's Roland Freisler?
But, but the FBI is badly broken and corrupt.
Funny how they are being hailed now...
Yeah the bastards. Doing their job............/s
Don't tell me, they were rouge before trump...
Please.
Not at all. just misguided by
I call on Iran to hack the RNC emails.
Well seeing the Russians failed maybe Iran can do a better job of it with all the money obama gave them?
So the Russians failed hacking the DNC. News to me.
I swear, no matter how many times that Obama talking point is debunked, the faithful will keep spouting nonsense.
Six countries and the EU approved a deal to lift some sanctions and give Iran access to ITS OWN CASH that had been frozen. Might be time to find some news sources that present actual facts.
Geesh.
Russia did hack the RNC around the same time the hacked the DNC. They weren't nearly as successful.
reading is fundamental...
So now Obama didn't fly cash to Iran skirting congress in the left wing world?
Even CNN reported on it,
Maybe it should still be frozen. One could argue that the money was destined for the government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi AKA the Shah, not the government of Islamic fanatics who starve their own people.
Obviously they didn't hack the RNC. They didn't get into the RNC, they got old news they were not interested in.
Saying Putin doesn't care about trump is short sighted. He is loving it. Hell they had a Whitehouse visit yesterday...for no reason that anyone can tell.
From OpenSecrets.org
Ahmad Khawaja's political donations:
According to the reported information, Ahmad “Andy” Khawaja was the front man for the activity.