A Texas woman who was a fundraiser for Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) has been charged with illegally funneling more than $10,000 to his 2010 campaign, The New York Times reported on Monday.
Diana Durand, 47, who was described by the Times as a friend of Grimm’s, was arrested in Texas on Friday and charged in a criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York. Court documents allege that she used “straw donors” to mask more than $10,000 in donations to Grimm, and funneled $4,800 to another unnamed congressman, according to the Times.
Grimm has been the target of a federal investigation into his campaign since at least early 2012, but Grimm has denied any wrongdoing. The complaint filed against Durand does not name Grimm or his campaign by name, but “people briefed on the matter” told the Times that “Committee A” and “Candidate A” were in fact Grimm and his campaign.
