WASHINGTON — The FBI has been reviewing a possible scheme to funnel illegal donations to the 2020 reelection campaign of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, recently unsealed court records in Washington, D.C., show. The FBI is investigating whether Martin Kao, the former chief executive officer for Hawaii-based contractor
Contributions allegedly were funneled through fraudulent LLC, family members to hide funds coming from a defense contractor, according to court records. The warrant does not indicate Collins, staff knew of alleged illegal donations.
Updated May 18
FBI probing federal contractor’s donations to Sen. Collins’ campaign
The FBI alleges contributions totaling close to $195,000 were made illegally to Susan Collins 2020 re-election campaign and a super PAC that supported her.
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Martin Kao, second from left, and Sen. Susan Collins appeared together in Portland in 2019, when Collins announced an $8 million federal contract to Hawaii-based Navatek. Joining them were Navatek Vice President Dave Kring, far left; JB Turner, president of Front Street Shipyards in Belfast; and Maggie Craig, Navatek’s deputy director of operations for Portland. Navatek said it would work with Front Street Shipyards on “new science and technology for safer hulls and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for fast boats.”