Veteran political operative Ken Smukler took the witness stand Tuesday and mocked federal prosecutors over allegations he’d broken the law in arranging payments from the campaign of Philadelphia Congressman Bob Brady to an opponent willing to drop his bid for Brady’s congressional seat.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/political-operative-convicted-federal-campaign-finance-crimes-two-congressional-campaigns-and
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 3, 2018
Political Operative Convicted of Federal Campaign Finance Crimes in Two Congressional Campaigns and of Obstructing Investigation by Federal Election Commission
A jury sitting in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania convicted longtime political operative Kenneth Smukler, 58, of Villanova, Pennsylvania, today on charges of making and concealing illegal campaign contributions in two Congressional primary elections, and of obstructing justice in an investigation by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
“Today’s convictions demonstrate the Department of Justice’s commitment to ensuring a level playing field in the financing of federal elections,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “We will hold accountable those who violate campaign finance and other laws designed to protect the fairness and transparency of our democracy.”
“Smukler was the mastermind of multiple crooked political schemes,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “He showed a true pattern of deception by misusing funds and lying to corrupt the entire political process. The only way to guarantee open and fair elections is to have everyone play by the same rules. Smukler ignored those rules and broke the law so that his candidates could try to win at all costs. We are grateful that the jury saw through his lies and held him accountable for his widespread criminal conduct.”
The jury found Smukler guilty of conspiracy to violate federal law, making and causing unlawful campaign contributions and causing false statements to the FEC in connection with a 2012 congressional primary campaign in a Philadelphia-area Congressional district. The jury further found Smukler guilty of making and causing unlawful campaign contributions, causing the filing of false reports to the FEC concerning contributions and expenditures, causing false statements to the FEC in connection with a 2014 congressional primary campaign in another Philadelphia-area Congressional district, and obstructing an FEC investigation.
In 2012, Smukler engaged in a conspiracy to make a concealed payment of $90,000 to Congressional candidate and former Philadelphia Municipal Judge Jimmie Moore to get Judge Moore to drop out of the primary election race. Smukler, who worked for another candidate, orchestrated the payment of the money through his own companies, a shell company of Judge Moore’s campaign manager, Carolyn Cavaness, and another campaign consultant, D.A. Jones. Judge Moore, Cavaness, and Jones all have pleaded guilty separately.
{truncated} follow link above
Smukler further caused the campaign to falsely characterize the payments from his companies as refunds in FEC reports and in a letter to the FEC from unwitting campaign counsel, which led the FEC to dismiss a pending complaint against the campaign by another candidate in the primary.
The jury also convicted Smukler of making unlawful conduit contributions to the campaign in 2014, through Jones, and again in 2015 through the candidate herself.
Judge Jan E. DuBois set sentencing for March 13, 2019.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Richard C. Pilger, Director of the Election Crimes Branch of the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division; Rebecca Moses, Trial Attorney of the Public Integrity Section and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric L. Gibson of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Topic(s):
Public Corruption
Component(s):
Criminal Division
Press Release Number:
18-1594
Updated December 3, 2018