Federal grand jury indicts former Nevada power broker Whittemore
By David McGrath Schwartz, Las Vegas Sun
A federal grand jury indicted former Nevada powerbroker Harvey Whittemore on Wednesday on charges of funneling $138,000 to an elected official’s campaign through family members and employees and then lying to the FBI about it, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
Whittemore, a prominent lobbyist and attorney, promised to raise $150,000 for an unnamed federal official, only identified as “Federal Elected Official 1,” in February 2007.
“Mr. Whittemore allegedly used his family members and employees as conduits to make illegal contributions to the campaign committee of an elected member of Congress,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, in a news release. “Our campaign finance laws establish maximum limits on individual contributions, and failure to adhere to those rules jeopardizes the integrity of our elections. We will continue to pursue those who engage in such conduct.”
Whittemore, 55, of Reno, was charged with one count of making excessive campaign contributions, one count of making contributions in the name of others and two counts of making a false statement to a federal agency.
If convicted, Whittemore faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.