Ray LaHood, a Department of Transportation secretary during President Barack Obama’s first term.
LOS ANGELES (CN) Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and a France-based billionaire paid fines to resolve separate probes that appear to be tied to a wider federal investigation into unlawful campaign contributions to U.S. political candidates, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Gilbert Chagoury, 75, paid a $1.8 million fine to resolve prosecutors’ allegations that he and his middlemen made approximately $180,000 in contributions to the U.S. election campaigns of four candidates for federal office.
As a foreign national, Chagoury who lives in Paris is prohibited by federal law from making financial contributions to any U.S. election.
Former Obama Cabinet Official Took Undisclosed Foreign Cash
Former Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood took $50,000 from a foreigner without disclosing the funds, violating government ethics rules, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.
LaHood, 75, was a Cabinet member during the Obama administration from 2009 to 2013. Before that, he was a Republican member of Congress.
LaHood was “suffering significant financial difficulties” due to issues with his house and sought a loan to cover repairs needed, according to a non-prosecution agreement he reached with the government.
In 2012 he received a $50,000 personal check from Toufic Joseph Baaklini, an associate of Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury.
LaHood understood that the money came from Chagoury but, in violation of ethics rules, did not disclose the check on government ethics forms because he “did not want to be associated with Chagoury,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
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LOS ANGELES – A Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire has resolved and two of his associates have agreed to resolve a federal investigation that they conspired to violate federal election laws by scheming to make illegal campaign contributions to U.S. presidential and congressional candidates, the Department of Justice announced today.
Gilbert Chagoury, 75, who presently resides in Paris, France, paid $1.8 million to resolve allegations that he, with the assistance of others, provided approximately $180,000 to individuals in the United States that was used to make contributions to four different federal political candidates in U.S. elections.
Chagoury, a foreign national prohibited by federal law from contributing to any U.S. elections, admitted he intended these funds to be used to make contributions to these candidates. He further admitted to making illegal conduit contributions – causing campaign contributions to be made in the name of another individual.