Obama donor pleads guilty in foreign donation scheme Illegal payments totaling $80,000 got an Albanian prime minister hopeful an audience with the president.

A Florida man pled guilty Monday to participating in and covering up a bizarre scheme that wound up getting a man hoping to to become prime minister of Albania into to one of President Barack Obama's fundraising events in October 2012, weeks before Obama's re-election.

Appearing in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, businessman William Argeros, 57, admitted to felony charges of aiding and abetting and illegal foreign political donation and making a false statement to a grand jury, court filings show.


Argeros gave $75,800 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2012 and subsequently donated $100,000 to the committee funding Obama's re-inauguration in 2013, federal records show.

In a plea deal with federal prosecutors, Argeros admitted to teaming up with New Jersey limousine driver Bilal Shehu to receive $80,000 "from a foreign source" and route it to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee supporting Obama's reelection bid and other Democratic candidates.

The funds were used to get Albanian politician Edi Rama into an Obama fundraiser in San Francisco. Rama later used a photo with Obama to suggest Obama supported Rama's bid for prime minister, a post he won following a parliamentary election in June 2013.

Soon after the photo of Obama and Rama emerged, Rep, Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) called on U.S. authorities to investigate the donation that led to Rama's attendance at the event.

Albanian prosecutors are reportedly investigating Rama for illegal donations in the U.S., but no charges against him have been filed in Albania or the U.S.

Federal authorities said Argeros resides in Tampa, Fla., but he's involved in commercial real estate in the Bethlehem, Pa., area.

Argeros was invited to large White House events on Dec. 4, 2012, likely a Christmas Party, and to another event on Jan. 18, 2013, likely a reception related to the inauguration, according to visitor appointment records posted on the White House website. The site does not indicate whether or not he attended.

Argeros was listed as a member of the host committee for a fundraiser President Bill Clinton was to attend for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in December 2015, according to local press accounts. However, the event was postponed, according to the Easton, Pa. Express-News.

Spokespeople for Clinton's campaign did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

A press release from U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman suggested that the Obama Victory Fund, which was not directly named, was not aware of the illegally-sourced donation.

"No one on the joint fundraising committee has been accused of any wrongdoing, and the committee has fully cooperated in the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea," the release said.

Last month, Shehu pled guilty to one count of making an illegal foreign contribution to a U.S. campaign. He's scheduled to be sentenced October 5.

Argeros, whose attorney did not respond to a call seeking comment for this story, is expected to be sentenced on Nov. 9.



This article tagged under: White House

Donations