Dem Donor Pleads Guilty to Illegal Campaign Spending

CA business exec illegally gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Dems, DOJ says

Collin Anderson • September 24, 2021 12:50 pm

A major Democratic donor pleaded guilty for “conspiring to make and conceal” illegal campaign contributions during the 2016 presidential election and 2018 midterms, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

California business executive Stevan Hill admitted to funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars in “conduit and excessive campaign contributions” to Democratic candidates in 2016 and beyond, a Justice Department press release states. Top recipients include failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), and former Missouri senator Claire McCaskill (D.), who owns a private plane. 

Hill gave the three Democrats a combined $12,700, according to campaign finance records. He also gave $100,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund, which then sent contributions to the Democratic National Committee and 34 Democratic state parties, including Virginia, Iowa, Michigan, and New Jersey. 

“Hill pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make conduit contributions, make excessive contributions, cause false statements to be made, and cause false entries in records,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “He is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date and faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison.”

The majority of Hill’s contributions came on the same date—Sept. 9, 2016. He gave $5,000 each to McCaskill and Schiff in 2018. He also gave $50,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ahead of that year’s midterm elections.

According to the Justice Department, Hill accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from Lebanese fugitive Ahmad “Andy” Khawaja to make the contributions. Khawaja—who also faces charges—gave Hill the money to “exceed contribution limits set by federal law.” 

Hill worked under Khawaja at Allied Wallet, an e-commerce company Khawaja founded in 2002. The company did not return a request for comment.