San Diego, CA — Marco Polo Cortes, a San Diego-based lobbyist, has been charged with conspiracy to finance political campaigns using money from an illegal foreign source.
Cortes, 44, of San Diego, was arrested by FBI agents on Tuesday, January 21, 2014, in the Little Italy section of San Diego, pursuant to an arrest warrant.
According to the complaint, Cortes conspired with Ravneet Singh and Ernesto Encinas to funnel more than $500,000 of illegal foreign money into San Diego municipal and federal campaigns, primarily in 2012 and 2013.
The source of the illegal foreign money, the complaint stated, was a person referred to as ‘the Foreign National.’
Cortes has lobbied San Diego Police Department officials, city council members, and mayoral staff. In 2012, Cortes and a coconspirator approached a representative of a person running for federal elective office during the 2012 general election cycle.
But one of the candidate’s representatives informed Cortes that the Foreign National would need to at least show proof of a green card, and emailed Cortes a link to the Federal Election Commission’s rules on foreign contributions. Despite this, Cortes and a coconspirator helped the Foreign National contribute in the Straw Donor’s name instead.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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