1 week ago
4
A Los Angeles County woman, who served connected a statesmanlike advisory committee nether the Biden medication and has an extended past of donating to Democrats, reached a plea statement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for making tens of thousands of dollars successful amerciable run contributions to reportedly unafraid a spot connected the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, the DOJ announced Wednesday.
Teena Maria Hostovich, 66, was charged Wednesday with making contributions successful the sanction of different aggregating to much than $10,000 successful a year, which is simply a felony, the DOJ reported.
She revealed successful her plea statement that she carried retired the strategy successful portion to unafraid a spot connected the Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees, the DOJ stated successful the property release. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts serves arsenic the nationalist taste halfway of the U.S. and is located successful Washington, D.C.
Hostovich is an security broker who utilized the identities of 11 different people, including co-workers and household members of co-workers, to illegally lend much than $75,000 to governmental candidates betwixt 2020 and 2023, the DOJ stated successful a property release.
DOGE SAYS IT'S REFERRED DOZENS OF POTENTIAL VOTER FRAUD CASES TO DOJ
Teena Hostovich astatine a Hollywood, California, lawsuit successful 2015. (Getty Images)
"According to her plea agreement, from May 2020 done 2023, Hostovich knowingly and willfully made a full of $75,700 successful contributions to national candidates’ main run committees and national associated fundraising committees successful the names of different people," the DOJ said successful a property release. "For the calendar years 2021 done 2023, Hostovich’s conduit contributions aggregated to much than $10,000 during each of those years."
Hostovich agreed successful a tribunal filing Wednesday to plead blameworthy to the national transgression complaint and wage a $43,500 fine.
Her strategy included contacting co-workers, their household members and different radical "who performed idiosyncratic services for Hostovich and her family" to inquire them to marque a donation to a political campaign oregon fundraising committee, according to the property release. She would past usage PayPal to reimburse the idiosyncratic for the publication oregon wage them up beforehand earlier the publication was made, the Justice Department explained.
STACEY ABRAMS-FOUNDED GROUPS SLAPPED WITH HISTORIC FINE FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE VIOLATIONS
"To execute these conduit contributions, Hostovich sometimes explicitly stated that she would beforehand the wealth for the publication oregon wage the idiosyncratic backmost for that contribution," the property merchandise outlined. "Other times, the idiosyncratic had an implicit knowing that Hostovich would beforehand the wealth oregon reimburse them based connected her past of advancements and reimbursements of governmental contributions. Hostovich mostly precocious oregon reimbursed these individuals successful amounts that exceeded the nonstop publication magnitude but often the amounts were precise adjacent to the publication amount."
The Department of Justice announced a plea woody with a California pistillate accused of carrying retired a conduit governmental donation scheme. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Fox News Digital reviewed a website promoting a publication Hostovich wrote successful 2024 connected climbing America's firm ladder, which besides touted Hostovich arsenic a subordinate of the Clinton Global Initiative, and that erstwhile President Joe Biden appointed her to service connected the President’s Advisory Committee connected the Arts.
"She is simply a subordinate of the Clinton Global Initiative and the White House Historical Association. President Biden precocious appointed her to the President’s Advisory Committee for the Arts, and she is the Co-Chair of the Advisory Council to the Kennedy Center’s President and Chairman," the bio states, which is accompanied by photos of Hostovich with high-profile Democrats specified arsenic Hillary Clinton, erstwhile President Bill Clinton and Biden.
Fox News Digital reached retired to the Clinton Foundation for remark but did not instantly person a reply.
An archived authoritative White House property merchandise from 2023 nether the Biden medication elaborate Hostovich's presumption connected the President’s Advisory Committee connected the Arts, including touting her "corporate governance responsibility, governmental activism, and philanthropic work."
"She has combined her lifelong passionateness for the arts, history, and acquisition with her firm governance responsibility, governmental activism, and philanthropic work," the bio states. "In summation to serving connected the Board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for implicit a decade, she has been 1 of the Chairs (along with her hubby and son) of Hollywood Bowl Opening Night galore times (including 2023) honoring important artists and showcasing the LA euphony assemblage portion raising wealth for Music Matters benefitting music/arts programs successful nationalist schools."
It is unclear however donations made successful different people's names would bolster her reported efforts to unafraid a spot connected the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees. The president appoints wide trustees to the board, portion different members are appointed by Congress.
A typical for Hostovich told Fox News Digital successful an emailed connection Tuesday greeting that "Teena Hostovich has agreed to plead blameworthy to 1 number of making contributions successful the sanction of another, involving 5 donations of $2,900 each successful 2021. In doing so, she is accepting work for her behaviour aboriginal and swiftly."
The connection continued that Hostovich's "mistakes are retired of character," arguing that her "career, accomplishments, and galore charitable deeds bespeak a beingness of hard enactment and generosity."
"Her generosity and committedness to her assemblage led to her engagement successful donating and fundraising for causes and candidates that she believed would champion fairness, equality, and amended society," the spokesperson continued. "She profoundly regrets that her ardent enactment of immoderate candidates led to lapses successful judgement successful a fraction of the donations she helped to rise and make. She is adjacent much remorseful for the shadiness that this probe whitethorn formed connected the candidates to whom the donations were made, arsenic they had nary cognition of immoderate wrongdoing."
"Throughout this process, Ms. Hostovich has cooperated afloat and worked transparently with instrumentality enforcement authorities. She is committed to making the due amends."
A spokesperson said that Teena Hostovich's "mistakes are retired of character," arguing that her "career, accomplishments, and galore charitable deeds bespeak a beingness of hard enactment and generosity." (iStock)
The DOJ did not place successful its property merchandise which governmental enactment Hostovich favored, though Federal Election Commission (FEC) records reviewed by Fox News amusement Hostovich made hundreds of donations crossed the years to Democrat politicians, the Democratic Party and left-wing governmental enactment committees.
Hostovich has astir 1,000 entries connected the FEC's database regarding donations she made nether her ain sanction stretching backmost to 2008 done the 2024 predetermination cycle.
The FEC information shows she donated to campaigns and groups specified arsenic the Obama Victory Fund, Democratic Party of Virginia, Pasadena, California, country United Democratic Headquarters and Chris Coons for Delaware during the 2008–2012 period.
More caller information from the 2024 predetermination rhythm shows she donated to groups specified arsenic the North Carolina Democratic Party – Federal, the Wyoming Democratic State Central Committee, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and the Democratic State Committee (Delaware). Searching for donations made to groups oregon campaigns containing the sanction "Republican" oregon "GOP" yielded zero results, Fox News Digital found.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The FBI carried retired an probe into Hostovich earlier she was charged and reached a plea agreement, the DOJ said. The DOJ told Fox Digital connected Tuesday that Hostovich is scheduled to look successful tribunal connected June 13 successful Los Angeles.
English (US) ·