Posted on 05/26/2013 11:30:43 AM PDT by mdittmar
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. That could be the title of the colorful biography of Reno attorney/developer/lobbyist Harvey Whittemore, who is on trial in federal court on charges of making nearly $140,000 worth of illegal campaign contributions to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Once the most powerful and influential lobbyist in the Legislative Building, Whittemore is now fighting to stay out of federal prison. Its a long fall from his glory days here in Carson, when he pretty much got everything he wanted from the Legislature, thanks in part to generous campaign contributions. Testimony at his Reno trial has alleged that during a lunch with Reid in Las Vegas in 2007, Whittemore promised to raise at least $150,000 for the senators 2010 re-election campaign.
According to a court document filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Myhre, Whittemore sought to make good on that promise by using employees of his real estate company Wingfield Nevada Group as well as his family members and many of their spouses as straw or conduit donors to avoid limits on individual campaign contributions. On a single day Whittemore caused one of his workers to transmit about $138,000 to Reids campaign, Myhre said.
Whittemore says he supported Reid because of the senators support for the Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease, a research institute created to find a cure for a disease suffered by Whittemores daughter Andrea.
During the trial, Whittemores attorneys have argued that he gave cash gifts to his employees without requiring them to donate to Reids campaign, but Myhre countered that their bundled contributions to the senators campaign actually came from Whittemore in violation of federal campaign-contribution laws. If convicted, Whittemore faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of his four counts.
Whittemores current federal court case is further complicated by a bitter legal dispute with his former partners in the Wingfield Springs development, wealthy brothers Albert and Tom Seeno, owners of the Bay Areas largest home-building company. The Seenos accuse Whittemore of stealing millions of dollars from them, while Whittemore alleges that they have ties to organized crime. Its a messy case, to say the least.
It wasnt that long ago, however, that Whittemore pretty much called the shots at the Legislature as the Northern Nevada representative for a powerful Las Vegas law firm, Lionel Sawyer & Collins. Among the firms many attorneys is Reids son, Rory, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2010 as his father was winning re-election to the U.S. Senate.
Whittemore has strong Carson City connections. His grandfather, the Rev. John Harvey, was a leading clergyman here in the early 20th century and his son, D.J., is the coach of the Western Nevada College baseball team. In fact, Whittemore Sr. financed construction of the beautiful John Harvey Field at WNC.
Heres an example of how Whittemore operated: I well remember when Whittemore and wealthy Las Vegas liquor distributor Larry Ruvo lobbied the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency for approval of a large pier at Glenbrook, an upscale retirement community on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. Although Glenbrook residents opposed the pier, TRPA commissioners approved the new pier, the first new one at the Lake in many years. My guess is that generous campaign contributions may have had something to do with the TRPA decision.
At the time of the pier dispute, Glenbrook residents told me Whittemore and Ruvo wanted to turn the quiet retirement community into lobbyland. Maybe that didnt happen, but the dynamic duo did host several high-powered political fundraisers at Glenbrook. As we know, in the world of politics, money talks.
Guy W. Farmer is a 50-year resident of Carson City.
WHY isn’t reid on trial???
Reid has received $$$MILLIONS in illegal contribution!!!!!
When is HE going to jail?
Same Question here?
Imagine if Reid’s bagman ever told the truth.
What about ACCEPTING illegal donations? Shurely there’s a law against that!
“I am Shocked, shocked, I say!”
This guy must have really had some juice. Wayne Newton fought in the courts for years to build a house at Lake Tahoe. “Mr. Las Vegas” lost. Guess he should have taken better care of Dingy Harry.
It is most often focused on campaign contibutions.
They are working on the wrong end of the equation. It is the power, influence and wealth redistribution that politicians have to sell that needs to be controlled.
Not to worry. The runt like hairy screed will escape unscathed as usual. Dems are untouchable. Kind of like difi’s husband making millions off of selling former post office properties that we paid for with our tax dollars. Crickets!
Can he win if he doesn’t have illegal funding? More investigation needed Birds of a feather and all .....
Suspect this guy will commit arkancide soon.
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