via AlterNet's PEEK:
More Dirty Laundry Found in Sen. Norm Coleman's Closet
Posted by Staff,
The Progress Report at 10:47 AM on November 3, 2008.
Things aren't looking good for Al Franken's opponent: A friend of Coleman funneled $75,000 to the Senator through his wife.A lawsuit filed late last week alleges that one of Sen. Norm Coleman's (R-MN) best friends and supporters, Nasser Kazeminy, used a Texas-based oil-rig services company to funnel $75,000 to Coleman through his wife Laurie's insurance firm. Paul McKim, who filed the lawsuit and who until last Friday was CEO of Deep Marine Technologies (DMT), says Kazeminy -- who owns about 50 percent of the company -- threatened to fire him if he did not agree to the deal. The lawsuit alleges Kazeminy explicitly sought to benefit Sen. Coleman:
"In March 2007, Kazeminy began ordering the payments of corporate funds to companies and individuals who tendered no goods or services to DMT for the stated purpose of trying to financially assist United States Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota." The lawsuit alleges that the money was sent through Laurie's insurance firm, Hays Companies, to make it "appear as though the payments were made in connection with legitimate transactions." Coleman called the suit's claims "false and defamatory," but Friday, McKim produced records documenting the payments to Laurie Coleman's firm, Hays. Earlier this month, Harpers reported that Kazeminy "covered the bills for Coleman's lavish clothing purchases at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis" -- a topic the campaign was not eager to discuss.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/105945/more_dirty_laundry_found_in_sen._norm_coleman%27s_closet/