Martin Kao, Campaign Contribution Conspiracy, Hawaii 2023

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Former Government Contractor Executive Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Campaign Contributions

A former government contractor executive has pleaded guilty to conspiring to make unlawful campaign contributions to a candidate for Congress and a political action committee (PAC), making unlawful campaign contributions, and causing the submission of false information to the Federal Election Commission.

Martin Kao, 48, of Honolulu, Hawaii, was the owner of a defense contractor prohibited from making contributions in federal elections. Kao and his co-conspirators created a shell company, which they used to make an illegal contribution – using government contractor funds – to a PAC supporting the election of a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Kao also used family members as conduits to make illegal contributions to the campaign committee of the same candidate, and then reimbursed them for those donations using funds obtained from Kao’s company.

Kao is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 9, 2023. He faces up to five years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Washington Field Office and DCIS Mid-Atlantic Field Office are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Lauren Castaldi of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Joshua Rothstein for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

According to court documents, Martin Kao, the owner of a defense contractor, used a shell company to make an illegal contribution to a PAC supporting a U.S. Senate candidate, and also used family members as conduits to make illegal contributions to the campaign committee.

Kao’s actions were in violation of federal election laws, which prohibit defense contractors from making contributions in federal elections.

The case is a reminder of the importance of holding public officials and individuals accountable for their actions and ensuring that the electoral process is fair and transparent.

The FBI and DCIS are committed to investigating and prosecuting cases of election law violations and ensuring that those who break the law are held accountable.

The exact charges against Kao include conspiring to make unlawful campaign contributions, making unlawful campaign contributions, and causing the submission of false information to the Federal Election Commission.