PRESS RELEASE
October 18, 1996

STATEMENT BY JOE LOCKHART
NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY

If Bob Dole wants to talk about campaign money laundering, he should check in with his own campaign fundraisers. Currently, there are three ongoing federal investigations of fund raising practices within the Dole for President campaign.

Simon Fireman, a Dole for President Finance Vice-Chair, has already agreed to pay a $6 million fine for illegal "laundering" of funds through a Hong Kong bank into the Dole campaign. Mr. Fireman faces a sentencing hearing next week to determine the length of his prison term. Similar cases are being investigated involving the Dole campaign in Pennsylvania and Nevada.

Bob Dole raised important campaign finance issues today. But when it comes to illegal campaign contributions, the Dole for President campaign, using Bob Dole’s own words, is a full service laundromat.

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The Dole Campaign’s Money Laundering

July 1996:
Dole Finance Vice-Chair Fireman Plead Guilty To U.S. Attorney For Illegal Campaign Contributions. Earlier this year, Dole Finance Vice Chairman Simon Fireman was caught illegally reimbursing his Aqua-Leisure employees for $69,000 in contributions -- run through a bank in Hong Kong -- to Dole’s 1996 Presidential campaign. Fireman has agreed to plead guilty to this crime and has agreed to a Government-recommended sentence of six months in prison, a $1 million fine for himself and a $5 million fine for his company as part of a plea bargain with the U.S. Attorney. [New York Times, 7/11/96; K.C. Star, 7/11/96; 7/23/96; 9/29/96; Boston Globe, 7/22/96]

April 1996:
Federal Law Enforcement Agents Are Currently Investigating Empire Landfill’s Questionable $50,000 Contribution Scheme. Federal agents are currently examining nearly $50,000 in contributions to Dole’s 1996 Presidential campaign by employees of Pennsylvania-based waste disposal company -- Empire Landfill. The contributions are suspicious because many came from lower-level employees who donated large amounts of money on the same day. [Wall Street Journal, 5/8/96; Washington Post, 4/25/96]

September 1996:
Illegal Scheme By Nevada Liquor Company To Funnel Money To Dole Is Uncovered. Just over two weeks ago, it was reported that DeLuca Liquor & Wine of Nevada gave thousands of dollars to its managers and then asked them to make individual contributions to Dole’s Presidential campaign. The company admitted the scheme and a DeLuca VP said, "It's not illegal, I hope." On a single day in 1995, Dole’s campaign collected at least $10,000 from DeLuca executives and their wives. GOP Representative John Ensign of Nevada has said that the Federal Election Commission should investigate this situation. [K.C. Star, 9/29/96; 10/4/96]