A California grand jury is now involved in the probe of a multi-million dollar dark money donation made in the state last year, The Daily Beast reported on Wednesday.
California’s attorney general and its campaign finance watchdog, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), have been investigating whether an $11 million contribution to a California group, the Small Business Action Committee, broke state disclosure laws. In early November, the FPPC forced the dark money group that made the donation, the Arizona-based Americans for Responsible Leadership, to disclose that the money had actually come from the conservative non-profit Americans for Job Security. A third group, The Center to Protect Patient Rights (CPPR), was also involved in the transition. (CPPR is a non-profit helmed by Sean Noble, a former congressional aide who has been tied to the movement of millions of dollars between political non-profits.)
Two people familiar with the probe, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Daily Beast that a grand jury is now part of the investigation. In addition, a person familiar with the probe told the website that either Charles Schwab, the chairman of the Charles Schwab Corporation, or an entity affiliated with Schwab has received a subpoena in connection with the probe.
“The convening of a state grand jury is as serious a step in a state investigation as a federal grand jury is in a federal probe,” white-collar attorney Stan Brand told The Daily Beast. “It’s not a foregone conclusion that someone will be charged, but it indicates a heightened level of prosecutorial interest.”
