EXCLUSIVE: Lobbyist’s kin unlikely campaign donors

Mr. Magliocchetti’s attorney, William E. Lawler III, declined to comment.

The Times’ review of public records found a pattern of donations from unlikely sources that were directed to congressmen Mr. Magliocchetti wanted to support. In some cases, the donors did not appear to have the personal funds necessary to make such substantial donations. In others, the donors had rarely voted or given donations before they started supporting Mr. Magliocchetti’s slate of candidates.

The unlikely donors include Mr. Magliocchetti’s first wife’s parents, two business associates - a golf pro and a wine sommelier who lived near his Florida condo - his children, and his former sister-in-law and her husband, a Virginia police officer.

Federal election law says: “No person shall make a contribution in the name of another person or knowingly permit his name to be used to effect such contribution.” In 2002, Congress toughened the law, making most violations a felony instead of a misdemeanor and increasing the penalties.

Paul Ryan, a lawyer with the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group, said some of the findings about donors uncovered by The Times “raise red flags and deserve a closer look” to see if there were violations of federal law.

The in-laws

Edwin and Lewanna Kreger are the parents of Mr. Magliocchetti’s first wife, Nancy. They lived in a two bedroom house in Daytona Beach the Magliocchettis purchased in 1984 for $66,000, according to court records. In 2001, the Magliocchettis transferred the title to LaFamiglia LLC, a company they and their two adult children, Mark and Jennifer, owned. The assessor now values the property at $118,000.

The Kregers made $83,000 in federal donations from November 2000 to September 2005, including $33,000 after their daughter filed for divorce from Mr. Magliocchetti in early 2004, seeking to end their 34-year marriage, and $30,000 to Mr. Magliocchetti’s closest friends on the defense subcommittee - $12,000 to Mr. Murtha, $8,000 to Mr. Moran and $10,000 to Mr. Visclosky.

Despite their hefty donations, the couple appeared to have few assets and rarely voted.

Mr. Kreger died in April 2006 at the age of 87. His will was filed a few days later, and the judge determined he had no assets that needed to be probated. His wife died in January 2009, also at 87. Her estate did not go through probate.

Florida records show they were not active voters. Since they registered to vote in Florida in 1992, they each voted twice - Mr. Kreger in the 2000 and 2002 general elections and Mrs. Kreger in the 2002 and 2008 general elections.

Mrs. Magliocchetti declined to comment on her parents’ donations.

“I really can’t comment on that,” she said in a brief telephone interview.

Business associates

Two Florida business associates of Mr. Magliocchetti each gave $80,000 to members of Congress in just over three years. John Pugliese, 36, and Jon Walker,41, made virtually parallel donations beginning on June 13, 2005, and ending on Oct. 16, 2008, shortly before the raid on Mr. Magliocchetti’s office and home.

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