RNC chief: Payments to sister's firm appropriate

Lawyer Blogs

Michael Steele, the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Sunday that claims he made inappropriate payments to his sister's company for work never performed were untrue and made by a felon trying to get a reduced sentence.


Steele paid more than $37,000 to a Maryland company run by his sister, Monica Turner, for work related to his unsuccessful 2006 Senate campaign. If she was not reimbursed, both he and his sister would be violating campaign finance laws, said Steele.

"It was a legitimate reimbursement of expenses," Steele said on ABC's "This Week."

Steele became the first black national chairman in the RNC's history last month. He was the first black candidate elected to statewide office in Maryland in 2002, when he became lieutenant governor, and was chairman of the Maryland Republican Party and then chairman of GOPAC, an organization that recruits and trains Republican political candidates.

Steele's former finance chairman, Alan B. Fabian, claimed to federal prosecutors that Steele made the payment to the company, which was then out of business, as Fabian was seeking leniency on unrelated fraud charges, The Washington Post reported Saturday. Prosecutors gave Fabian no credit for cooperation when he was sentenced in October, the newspaper said.

The charges were made in a confidential sentencing memorandum sent by the U.S. Attorney's office in Maryland inadvertently along with other documents requested by the Post.

Related listings

  • NY court document reveals names of Madoff clients

    NY court document reveals names of Madoff clients

    Lawyer Blogs 02/05/2009

    The names of several thousand clients who lost money investing with Bernard Madoff have been released in a court filing that reads like a Who's Who: former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax, actor Kevin Bacon and even Madoff's defense lawyer. ...

  • No agreement on guilty plea for 'Rockefeller'

    No agreement on guilty plea for 'Rockefeller'

    Lawyer Blogs 02/04/2009

    A man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller is moving closer to a trial on kidnapping charges after attorneys were unable to reach agreement on a guilty plea. The man, whose real name is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (GAYR'-hahrtz-ry-tur), used a numbe...

  • N.Va. lawyer injured when shots fired into office

    N.Va. lawyer injured when shots fired into office

    Lawyer Blogs 02/04/2009

    Authorities say a lawyer was injured when gunshots were fired through the window of his downtown Leesburg office. Lt. Jeff Dube, a Leesburg police spokesman, says Todd Sanders was in his office in the 200 block of South King Street when the shots wer...

Illinois Work Injury Lawyers – Krol, Bongiorno & Given, LTD.

Accidents in the workplace are often caused by unsafe work conditions arising from ignoring safety rules, overlooking maintenance or other negligence of those in management. While we are one of the largest firms in Illinois dedicated solely to the representation of injured workers, we pride ourselves on the personal, one-on-one approach we deliver to each client.

Work accidents can cause serious injuries and sometimes permanent damage. Some extremely serious work injuries can permanently hinder a person’s ability to get around and continue their daily duties. Factors that affect one’s quality of life such as place of work, relationships with friends and family, and social standing can all be taken away quickly by a work injury. Although, you may not be able to recover all of your losses, you may be entitled to compensation as a result of your work injury. Krol, Bongiorno & Given, LTD. provides informed advocacy in all kinds of workers’ compensation claims, including:

• Injuries to the back and neck, including severe spinal cord injuries
• Serious head injuries
• Heart problems resulting from workplace activities
• Injuries to the knees, elbows, shoulders and other joints
• Injuries caused by repetitive movements

For Illinois Workers’ Compensation claims, you will ALWAYS cheat yourself if you do not hire an experienced attorney. When you hire Krol, Bongiorno & Given, Ltd, you will have someone to guide you through the process, and when it is time to settle, we will add value to your case IN EXCESS of our fee. In the last few years, employers and insurance carriers have sought to advance the argument that when you settle a case without an attorney, your already low settlement should be further reduced by 20% so that you do not get a “windfall.” Representing yourself in Illinois is a lose-lose proposition.

Business News

St Peters, MO Professional License Attorney Attorney John Lynch has been the go-to choice for many professionals facing administrative sanction. >> read