This time two years ago Joe Sestak was beginning to turn the heat up on Curt Weldon in what would become an epic battle for the 7th District Congressional seat.
That race was turned on its head just a few weeks before election day when the FBI raided the home of Weldon’s daughter, and then-Springfield GOP chief Charlie Sexton, an adviser to the Weldon campaign.
The feds said they were looking for information connected to their probe of Weldon’s dealings, and whether he used his influence to steer contracts to the firm run by his daughter and Sexton.
Weldon and his backers are convinced the raid cost him the seat he had held for 20 years as he became a heavy hitter in Washington, known for his strong views on foreign policy and his connections in Russia.
Fast-forward two years. No charges have yet to be brought against Weldon, his daughter or Sexton. It’s uncertain whether any ever will.
But like a leaky faucet, the Weldon probe will not go away. It comes out in dribs and drabs.
Tuesday the spigot opened up a little bit more.
A lobbyist and real estate agent with close ties to Weldon was charged in connection with the probe. Ironically, the charges against Cecilia Grimes of Media stem not from anything she may have done in connection with Weldon, but rather for things she apparently did after word surfaced of the probe.
The feds allege she destroyed records after she was interviewed by the FBI about her dealings with Weldon. Among the things she did was toss her Blackberry personal computer into a trash can at a fast-food joint.
She is expected to enter a guilty plea in federal court next week. The expectation is that she is cooperating with federal authorities.
She’s not the first. A former top Weldon aide, Russ Caso Jr., entered a plea for failing to report income earned by his wife from a firm that had dealings with Weldon. He also is cooperating with prosecutors.
Since leaving office, Weldon has taken a position with Defense Solutions, of Exton, Chester County, where he has been putting his expertise in Russian and eastern European affairs to use.
But the federal investigation that hangs over him never seems too far away. And the drip is getting louder.
That race was turned on its head just a few weeks before election day when the FBI raided the home of Weldon’s daughter, and then-Springfield GOP chief Charlie Sexton, an adviser to the Weldon campaign.
The feds said they were looking for information connected to their probe of Weldon’s dealings, and whether he used his influence to steer contracts to the firm run by his daughter and Sexton.
Weldon and his backers are convinced the raid cost him the seat he had held for 20 years as he became a heavy hitter in Washington, known for his strong views on foreign policy and his connections in Russia.
Fast-forward two years. No charges have yet to be brought against Weldon, his daughter or Sexton. It’s uncertain whether any ever will.
But like a leaky faucet, the Weldon probe will not go away. It comes out in dribs and drabs.
Tuesday the spigot opened up a little bit more.
A lobbyist and real estate agent with close ties to Weldon was charged in connection with the probe. Ironically, the charges against Cecilia Grimes of Media stem not from anything she may have done in connection with Weldon, but rather for things she apparently did after word surfaced of the probe.
The feds allege she destroyed records after she was interviewed by the FBI about her dealings with Weldon. Among the things she did was toss her Blackberry personal computer into a trash can at a fast-food joint.
She is expected to enter a guilty plea in federal court next week. The expectation is that she is cooperating with federal authorities.
She’s not the first. A former top Weldon aide, Russ Caso Jr., entered a plea for failing to report income earned by his wife from a firm that had dealings with Weldon. He also is cooperating with prosecutors.
Since leaving office, Weldon has taken a position with Defense Solutions, of Exton, Chester County, where he has been putting his expertise in Russian and eastern European affairs to use.
But the federal investigation that hangs over him never seems too far away. And the drip is getting louder.
Comments