Three former defense contractors in Hawaii have been charged with illegal donations to Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and one of her political military action committees , according to a imperativeness expiration from theDepartment of Justice . The men worked for a company called Martin Defense Group , which changed its name from Navatek after a outrage involving covid-19 relief money in 2020 .
Clifford Chen , Martin Kao , and Lawrence “ Kahele ” Lum Kee are charge with confederacy to rook the U.S. , go against a ban on vindication contractors donating money in federal election , and , perhaps most damningly , donate money to Collins through a shell party called the “ Society of Young Women Scientists and Engineers . ”
The man allegedly used the shell company to donate $ 150,000 to a political military action committee called1820 PACin 2019 , according to the DOJ . And syndicate members of the men were also used to serve contribute ten of thousands of dollars to Sen. Collins , with the three executives reimbursing themselves through money that belong to the Martin Defense Group .
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) at a Senate hearing about covid-19 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on 27 December 2024.Photo: Greg Nash / AFP (Getty Images)
Kao was formerly the CEO of Navatek and faces two extra cathexis of making false claims to the Federal Election Committee . Kao was also charged in former 2020 with fraudulently receivingtoo much moneyunder the Paycheck Protection Program , set up in 2020 to assist private businesses at the start of the covid-19 pandemic . Kao , who allegedly lie about the number of employees his company had to receive more pecuniary resource , has plead not hangdog to those charges .
The 14 - Sir Frederick Handley Page bill of indictment , which is uncommitted on the DOJ’swebsite , alleges a reasonably significant paper trail of Kao coaching family penis by email on how to donate to Collins using his party ’s funds :
In the body of this email , Individual G wrote , “ All skillful ? was n’t sure if I filled it out the right way . ” KAO responded by electronic mail the same day , “ All good ! Thanks ! ”
The bill of indictment also includes quotation from emails by Kao about determine up a new LLC and a PO Box to register the shell fellowship , “ Society of Young Women Scientists and Engineers . ” The three humanity confront five years in prison on each count and fines of $ 250,000 per count .
A spokesperson for Sen. Collins , a Republican , told theWashington Postthat she had no cognition of any aver wrongdoing by the three men . But it ’s not clear if her hunting expedition has any plans to return the money . What did these three men expect to get out of their contribution ? Around the time of the illegal contributions , the defense society was being considered for an $ 8 million contract to arise safe hulls for ship in the U.S. Navy .
From the Post :
Collins preach for that funding . The Campaign Legal Centerfirst raised concernswith the FEC about the shield company ’s contribution in February 2020 , which the Hawaii news organizationCivil Beat tracedto Kao and his party .
Collins , who infamously said that former president Donald Trump had “ pick up his object lesson ” after an attack by his followers to overthrow the U.S. regime on January 6 , 2020 , was first elected to the Senate in 1996 and is known as a “ temperate ” Republican , despite the fact that she spend the entire Trump presidency enabling the rise of an autocratic SOB .
Martin Defense Group , which is found in Hawaii but has an office in Maine , did not immediately react to an inquiry overnight . Gizmodo will update this post if we see back .
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