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Corporate CFO Pleads Guilty to Campaign Finance Violations

The chief financial officer of a corporation has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit campaign fraud, as well as other charges, that could bring pressure on the company’s founder, whose trial on similar charges starts on June 2.  

Michael Giorgio , CFO of the SCI in Ohio, pleaded guilty on Monday to seven charges, including obstruction of justice, conspiracy to commit campaign fraud, witness tampering, and making a false statement.  

In his plea deal, Giorgio accused his boss Benjamin D. Suarez  of personally directing a scheme to move $100,000 to the 2012 federal re-election campaign of Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio, and $100,000 to the 2012 U.S. Senate campaign of candidate Josh Mandel, R-Ohio.  

The scheme involved recruiting executives and managers at the firm to write $5,000 checks in their names to campaigns, and then SCI would reimburse them with company checks disguised as profit-sharing compensation.  

View earlier postingTwo Executives Indicted for Campaign Finance Violations . View Department of Justice press release  on the earlier indictment.

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Editor’s Note: Tim Curran, an editor and a neighbor