FBI investigating Sen. Norm Coleman ally

Page one of story in Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

"FBI investigating allegations against Coleman supporter: A lawsuit has alleged that Nasser Kazeminy tried to funnel $75,000 to Sen. Norm Coleman through a Texas company that Kazeminy controls."

By TONY KENNEDY and DAVID SHAFFER, Star Tribune

Last update: December 10, 2008 - 1:41 PM

Let's Compare Minnesota and Illinois Politics

After recounting 2.9 million ballots, there are 133 missing (that's 0.0045 percent - PERCENT!) that could be considered an election recount … read more mess-up. Despite the whining about stolen elections, the recount process has been open, transparent, fast and efficient. No elected official of either party has been recorded swearing a blue streak and whining about how much money he/she should get for rigging the recount. Plus, while we don't have a real quarterback, we also don't have Kyle Orton. Yes, life is pretty sweet here in Minnesota, isn't it?

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* Nov. 9: "Money and past bond Coleman, Kazeminy"

The FBI has begun an investigation related to allegations in two lawsuits accusing a friend and political supporter of Sen. Norm Coleman of attempting to funnel $75,000 to him from the coffers of a Texas company that the friend controls.

A source familiar with the probe said FBI agents in Texas have begun contacting people associated with Houston-based Deep Marine Technology Inc., an underwater services company controlled by Nasser Kazeminy, a wealthy businessman whose flagship investment company is based in Bloomington, Minn.

Paul McKim, the founder and former CEO of Deep Marine, has alleged in a lawsuit against Kazeminy that Kazeminy directed $75,000 in payments last year to Hays Companies Inc. of Minneapolis, a large insurance agency that employs Coleman's wife, Laurie Coleman.

McKim's lawsuit alleges that Kazeminy told executives at Deep Marine that Coleman didn't make enough money as a senator and that the payments to Hays were to aid Coleman financially.

Coleman said after the election that he welcomes an immediate investigation. On Wednesday, Luke Friedrich, press secretary for the Coleman Senate campaign, said the senator had not been contacted by any investigators.

McKim said in his lawsuit that Hays did not provide insurance products or services to Deep Marine in exchange for the payments and that he blocked a scheduled fourth payment to Hays that would have been for an additional $25,000.

News of the lawsuit broke five days before the election between Coleman, a Republican, and DFL challenger Al Franken. The election's outcome is the subject of an ongoing recount.

In late October, McKim told the Star Tribune in an interview in Houston that he would welcome an FBI investigation of the payouts made to Hays Companies. He acknowledged that while he might find himself in trouble for initially signing off on the first $25,000 payment sent to Hays, it was paramount that federal authorities understand the context in which the payment was made.

Norm Coleman campaign alleged to have interferred with election

A reporter for the progressive online journal, "Minnesota Independent," has reported that a paid staffer in Senator Norm Coleman's (Minnesota) campaign steered voters to choosing Coleman, under the guise of providing Somali translation assistance to voters. Al Franken, author, Air America Radio host, and Saturday Night Live writer and performer, challenged Coleman, as a Democrat, for the senate seat.

"Secretary of State’s office says laws may have been broken in Somali translator voting incident" --post this afternoon.

The summary from democraticunderground.com:

Allegations have surfaced of voter irregularities involving a paid staffer of Norm Coleman, and the ramifications could have a profound impact on the outcome of Coleman's race against Al Franken.

A reporter for the Minnesota Independent, a progressive online publication, was working on a story about voter turnout when she overheard that Republican poll challengers monitoring voting at the precinct had brought in Mahamoud Wardere to help voters translate.

The Coleman campaign confirmed that Wardere is a paid member of their staff

"I had already spoken to at least three people who told me that translators were telling them to vote for Norm Coleman," she said.

The issue could end up being the basis of a legal challenge. According to Prof. Joe Daly of Hamline University, state election law has a provision that if there is a deliberate, serious or material violation of state election law, a district court judge must gather the evidence and present it to the presiding officer of the U.S. Senate, who would then decide the merits of the allegations.

The Senate could even revoke the results of the election and decide who would be seated as senator.

From the Minnesota Independent article:

Minnesota statute 204C.06, regarding conduct in and near polling places, states that “no one except an election official or an individual who is waiting to register or to vote shall stand within 100 feet of the building in which a polling place is located.” Fraser says that if Wardere was there throughout the afternoon and not aiding an individual voter with translation, then it’s possible laws were broken. “That is up for the county attorney to investigate,” Fraser says. “And I do not have all the facts. But if that happened, then potentially laws were broken.”

What’s more, the GOP conceivably violated election laws by at one point having three challengers as well as Wardere on site. After being asked by an election judge to leave, Wardere told the Minnesota Independent that neither he nor the election judge were certain if his role at Brian Coyle was to act as GOP challenger or translator. Wadere did not leave the building, and instead remained in the foyer or entrance of Brian Coyle Center for most of the afternoon. He later told MnIndy that he was only there to help voters with language issues. One GOP challenger, whose counterpart called in Wardere to act as their translator earlier that morning, refused to speak with MnIndy about allegations of voter intimidation or Wardere’s role at the site.

Click here for updated story, this afternoon on the Minnesota Independent site.

Read here for Al Franken's statement (11/5/08) on the recount. He says that the recount is automatic; he cites the margin of the vote between his reported vote tally and Coleman's vote tally: "a margin of just about 1100 votes out of 2.9 million cast. That’s four one-hundredths of one percent of the vote. "