FORMER CAMPAIGN MANAGER SENTENCED FOR MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS TO THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Assistant Attorney General Christopher Wray of the Criminal Division announced today that Adrian Plesha, a former campaign manager for a congressional candidate who ran in California’s Tenth Congressional District during the November 1998 general election, has been sentenced to a three-year term of probation, a $5,000 fine, and 160 hours of community service for making false statements to the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”).

Plesha, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced this morning in the District of Columbia federal court by U.S. District Judge John D. Bates. Plesha previously pleaded guilty on Sept. 1, 2003.

Before Election Day 1998, registered Democrats in the Tenth Congressional District received letters and telephone calls purportedly made by the “East Bay Democratic Committee,” a fictitious Democratic organization, urging them not to vote for the incumbent Democratic congresswoman. The letters falsely appeared to be signed and approved by the sitting Democratic congressman from California’s Seventh Congressional District. Falsely identifying the political affiliations of the individuals or entities sponsoring and/or paying for campaign letters and phone calls is a criminal violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act (“FECA”). The FEC began investigating those responsible for originating the letters and telephone calls and served written investigative interrogatories, seeking a written response to several questions concerning the creation, review, editing, approval and financing of the letters and phone calls.

Plesha, the campaign manager for the Republican candidate for the congressional seat, filed a written response with the FEC in October 2000 in which he denied any knowledge of who originated the letters and calls, when in fact Plesha himself created, reviewed, approved, authorized and caused the letters and phone calls to be disseminated and financed, in violation of the FECA. In pleading guilty, Plesha admitted that his written response to the FEC was knowingly false.

This prosecution was handled by Trial Attorneys Kartik K. Raman and Alison Van Horn of the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., headed by Noel L. Hillman, Chief. The investigation was conducted by the Washington Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the FEC.

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