The FBI, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the "Rev." Al Sharpton, secretly videotaped him pocketing campaign donations from two shady fund-raisers in a New York City hotel room and then asking for more.The FBI launched the probe into Sharpton's fund-raising for his failed 2004 presidential run after his name surfaced on wiretaps in an unrelated Philadelphia City Hall corruption case.
The two dubious donors whom Sharpton met with in the hotel on May 9, 2003 — Democratic fund-raisers La-Van Hawkins and the late Ronald White — suggested that nearly $90,000 was missing from the official campaign report Sharpton filed with the FEC.
Hawkins is currently on trial in Philadelphia on corruption charges unrelated to the Sharpton case; White also was going to be indicted, but he died before charges could be brought.
In the hotel room, the FBI had videotape secretly rolling as White forked over a wad of campaign checks to Sharpton. Sharpton demanded $25,000 more, and White promised he'd try to raise it. Wiretaps show that White and Hawkins supported Sharpton because they believed the candidate could grease the skids in future business deals — primarily a $40 million deal related to New York City's pension fund.
The feds learned Hawkins, a Detroit fast-food king, sought to create a fried-chicken empire financed with millions of dollars invested from the Big Apple pension fund. Sharpton ripped the federal probe and the secret videotaping of the hotel meeting, saying, "Can you imagine what would happen if it was a white presidential candidate?"
With the help of White and Hawkins, Sharpton collected enough money across the country to qualify for federal campaign matching funds in 2003.
But because Sharpton pumped more than $50,000 of his own money into the campaign — disqualifying him from getting the taxpayer-backed funding — the FEC said he must give back $100,000. Sharpton is appealing the FEC decision.
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