Nevada Powerbroker Accused Of Making Illegal Campaign Contributions To Harry Reid Found Guilty

The head of a billion dollar real estate development firm and a prominent lobbyist in Nevada who was accused of making illegal campaign contributions to the campaign of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has been found guilty of three felony charges. The 59-year old Harvey Whittemore faces up to 15 years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines after a jury concluded he had illegally funneled about $150,000 to Reid's campaign by paying bonuses to employees and family members, who in turn wrote out checks to Reid's campaign to skirt campaign finance laws capping the amount an individual can contribute to a federal candidate's campaign. Reid told reporters he had no knowledge of the scheme. "I received $25 million. He raised $150,000," Reid told the Las Vegas Sun earlier this week. "I had money coming in from other places."