This week, it was announced that 58-year-old Kenneth Smukler of Villanova, Pennsylvania had been convicted of making and concealing illegal campaign contributions in two Congressional primary elections. The defendant was also found guilty of obstructing justice in an investigation by the FEC. The jury found the defendant guilty of conspiracy to violate federal law, making and causing unlawful campaign contributions and causing false statements to the FEC.
The defendant was also found guilty of making and causing unlawful campaign contributions, causing the filing of false reports to the FEC, causing false statements to the FEC and obstructing an FEC investigation. In 2012, Smukler was involved in a conspiracy to make a concealed payment of $90,000 to Congressional candidate Jimmie Moore to get Moore to drop out of the primary election race. Smukler worked for another candidate and orchestrated the payment through his own companies, a shell company of Moore’s campaign manager and another campaign consultant.
Smukler is now scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2019. Further details have been made available here.
