Monday, April 18, 2011 | 11:33 a.m.
The PokerStars PAC report shows that 48 out of 63 lawmakers received cash last year, shortly before the company paid for two of them – Assemblymen William Horne and Kelvin Atkinson -- to go to London.
I have listed the contributions below from the PAC filing, although some lawmakers are now pulling out records as they say they do not have any recollection of getting the money.
The real issue: Why would anyone take money or favors from a company the feds had already alleged had been operating illegally here?
The algorithm for contributions was obvious at the top – leaders got a lot of cash – but stranger as it got toward the bottom, with differing amounts and no good reason to leave some of those 15 off the list. And why not Bill Raggio, who at the time was returning to be the biennial power he always was.
The PAC also, in violation of the law, did not file a final report and the secretary of state’s office today sent the company a letter. Wonder if there are more contributions to see?
The bigger issue for the PAC and its helpers, and less so for the candidates who had little way of knowing, is how did they allow a foreign company, prohibited by federal law from contributing to state campaigns, fund the PAC.
I asked Alfredo Alonso, who was the company’s representative and set up meetings with candidates to pass out checks, how that could be. His answer, via email:
“No. No one was told of the foreign source of the money.”
Really?
Alonso claimed he had no knowledge of the nearly $300,000 check deposited in the PAC from the Isle of Man. So who deposited it? "I don't know," he said.
The feds surely will investigate, ex-U.S. Attorney Greg Brower already has asked the AG and SOS to look into it.
Here’s a list of the 48 legislators who took the PokerStars money, with PAC cash added to individuals where appropriate:
Steven Horsford $37,500
John Oceguera $30,000
Pete Goicoechea $14,000
Debbie Smith $12,500
Marcus Conklin $12,500
Marilyn Kirkpatrick $7,500
William Horne $7,500
Kelvin Atkinson $5,000
Joe Hardy $5,000
Ben Kieckhefer $5,000
James Settelmeyer $5,000
Mike McGinness $5,000
David Bobzien $4,000
Tick Segerblom $3,000
April Mastroluca $3,000
Lynn Stewart $3,000
Barbara Cegavske $3,000
Mark Manendo $2,500
Mo Denis $2,500
Ruben Kihuen $2,500
Tom Grady $2,500
John Hambrick $2,000
Olivia Diaz $2,000
Peggy Pierce $2,000
Marilyn Dondero Loop $2,000
Jason Frierson $2,000
Maggie Carlton $2,000
Richard Carillo $2,000
Steven Brooks $2,000
Lucy Flores $2,000
Irene Bustamante-Adams $2,000
Skip Daly $2,000
Cresent Hardy $2,000
Melissa Woodbury $2,000
Pat Hickey $2,000
Joe Hogan $1,500
Teresa Benitez-Thompson $1,500
Randy Kirner (listed as “Kimer”) $1,500
John Ellison $1,500
Richard McArthur $1,000
Harvey Munford $1,000
Dina Neal $1,000
James Ohrenschall $1,000
Elliot Anderson $1,000
Paul Aizley $1,000
Pete Livermore $1,000
Don Gustavson $1,000
Ed Goedhart $500
Who was not worthy of PokerStars money, according to the report:
Scott Hammond
Ira Hansen
Kelly Kite
Mark Sherwood
Shirley Breeden
Bill Raggio (Greg Brower)
Allison Copening
Elizabeth Halseth
John Lee
Sheila Leslie
David Parks
Dean Rhoads
Michael Roberson
Mike Schneider
Valerie Wiener
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