Villaraigosa Donors Agree to Pay Ethics Fines
Two contributors will pay $108,000 in fines for their involvement in a scheme to skirt fundraising limits in the 2005 election. The fines require Ethics Commission approval.
Two Florida-based contributors to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa have agreed to pay the city's Ethics
Commission $108,000 in fines for participating in a scheme
to circumvent the city's fundraising limits in the 2005
election.
The fines, if approved by the five-member panel next week, would be the fifth largest in the agency's 19-year history.
The fines, if approved by the five-member panel next week, would be the fifth largest in the agency's 19-year history.
Sean Anderson and Richard Manhire, owners of Miami-based
Travel Traders, agreed to the fines as part of a settlement
in which they admitted to laundering $36,000 in campaign
contributions. When combined with fines from their recent
criminal case, total penalties resulting from the scheme
exceed $312,000.
Anderson and Manhire pleaded guilty two weeks ago to misdemeanor charges of campaign money laundering. They had been seeking concessions at L.A. International Airport.
An investigation by the Los Angeles County district attorney and the Ethics Commission found that Manhire and Anderson had arranged for employees of Travel Traders and W.H. Smith, as well as family members of those employees, to contribute money to Villaraigosa's mayoral bid. Travel Traders then reimbursed those donors, a move that circumvented the city's spending limits, which prohibit donors from giving more than $1,000 per election cycle to a candidate.
Anderson and Manhire pleaded guilty two weeks ago to misdemeanor charges of campaign money laundering. They had been seeking concessions at L.A. International Airport.
An investigation by the Los Angeles County district attorney and the Ethics Commission found that Manhire and Anderson had arranged for employees of Travel Traders and W.H. Smith, as well as family members of those employees, to contribute money to Villaraigosa's mayoral bid. Travel Traders then reimbursed those donors, a move that circumvented the city's spending limits, which prohibit donors from giving more than $1,000 per election cycle to a candidate.
Prosecutors said last month that they found no evidence to
suggest that the mayor knew the contributions, which were
provided between September 2004 and April 2005, were
laundered when his campaign received them.
Villaraigosa had dinner with Anderson on Sept. 27, 2004. A day later, Anderson's company began making multiple donations to Villaraigosa's campaign committee.
Villaraigosa has insisted that he did not discuss airport concessions during his meal with Anderson. He returned the contributions eight months later after the questionable donations became the subject of several news stories.
david.zahniser@latimes.com
Villaraigosa had dinner with Anderson on Sept. 27, 2004. A day later, Anderson's company began making multiple donations to Villaraigosa's campaign committee.
Villaraigosa has insisted that he did not discuss airport concessions during his meal with Anderson. He returned the contributions eight months later after the questionable donations became the subject of several news stories.
david.zahniser@latimes.com
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