Posted on 02/01/2006 7:42:45 PM PST by NormsRevenge
State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata's legal defense fund, formed to deal with an FBI corruption probe, helped close its deficit with $204,000 transferred from another political fund controlled by the Oakland Democrat.
Taxpayers for Perata gave the Friends of Don Perata Legal Defense Fund $204,000 on Oct. 28, campaign finance reports show. Other state documents show Perata created Taxpayers for Perata in August to raise money so he can run for the Board of Equalization in 2010.
Overall last year, the legal fund shelled out $742,389, mostly to Perata's Sacramento lawyers and an Emeryville private investigation firm.
Spokesman Jason Kinney said Tuesday he believes most if not all of Perata's legal debts are paid now.
The legal fund raised $18,250 in the last quarter of 2005, including $15,000 on Dec. 22 from the Professional Engineers in California Government, a union of 13,000 state engineers, architects, land surveyors and other professionals.
Another $3,000 came Nov. 21 from Morristown, N.J.-based Plymouth Financial Company Inc., which buys, sells and services municipal real estate tax liens.
Plymouth also gave $3,000 that month to Perata's Rebuilding California PAC, which backs the Senate leader's infrastructure bond proposal.
Neither Plymouth President and CEO Paul Scura nor the president of Plymouth's Sacramento lobbying firm, School Services of California, could be reached for comment Tuesday.
Perata and his family, friends and business associates are the subjects of an FBI investigation that came to public attention in late 2004.
Agents have searched and seized materials from Perata's home; from that of his son, Nick; and from that of political consultant Lily Hu, all in Oakland.
Thousands of pages of documents have been subpoenaed from public agencies. No charges have been filed against anyone.
Perata is scum on wheels.
Some the biggest rodents in politics come from the Bay
Area. Must be the weather.
Is there a Chinese connection?
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