A lawyer at a former Fort Lauderdale law firm has been charged in a scheme to make illegal campaign contributions in the names of others.
Russell S. Adler , a shareholder in the former Fort Lauderdale law firm of Rothstein, Rosenfelt and Adler (RRA) , has been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act and to defraud the United States. Adler, along with other attorneys, and some spouses, as well as administrative personnel at the firm were enlisted by Scott Rothstein to make contributions to federal campaigns and then unlawfully reimbursed by the firm.
Adler was allegedly reimbursed about $200,000 for campaign contributions to the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in 2008, and $5,000 to former Gov. Charlie Crist, R-Fla. There is no indication that McCain or Crist had knowledge of the scheme.
The South Florida Business Journal reported additional contributions went to joint fundraising committees, the national Republican Party and state Republican parties. A separate agreement with Marybeth Feiss, who pleaded guilty to election law violations, stated the contributions resulted in about $400,000 going to the Republican National Party and about $450,000 to state Republican parties.
Adler is the seventh attorney and seventeenth accomplice to be held accountable in Rothstein’s $1+ billion Ponzi Scheme. Rothstein is currently serving a 50-year federal prison sentence.
View Department of Justice press release .
