Oakton Residents Charged in Illegal Campaign Contributions Scheme

Two Oakton men were indicted Wednesday after an FBI investigation into illegal campaign contributions, court documents say.

William Danielczyk Jr., 49, and Eugene Biagi, 76, are accused of reimbursing contributions to the 2006 Senate campaign and the 2008 presidential campaign of a candidate unnamed in the documents. Contribution records on OpenSecrets.org show Danielczyk and Biagi each contributing to Hillary Clinton's senatorial and presidential runs.

A federal grand jury in Alexandria charged Danielczyk and Biagi each with one count of conspiracy, two counts of reimbursing contributions, one count of using corporate funds to reimburse contributions and one count of obstructing justice. Danielczyk has also been charged with two counts of causing false statements to be submitted to the Federal Elections Commission.

Documents say they reimbursed $30,200 to eight contributors to the 2006 Senate campaign and $156,400 to 35 contributors for the same candidate's 2008 presidential run, some of which was reimbursed with corporate funds. OpenSecrets.org lists their employer as Galen Corporate Group.

The indictment accuses Danielczyk of recruiting people to contribute to the campaigns with the promise their contributions would be reimbursed. The court documents allege both Danielczyk and Biagi reimbursed individuals using company funds. Biagi is also accused of disguising the reimbursements by falsely identifying the purpose of the checks in the memorandum lines and by paying out more money than the amount originally contributed.

April Spittle, 28, Danielczyk's former assistant, pleaded guilty Feb. 4 to making reimbursed contributions to the 2008 presidential campaign.

In her plea agreement, Spittle admitted she, at Danielczyk's direction, participated in raising reimbursed contributions and received her own reimbursement from Biagi. She also distributed other reimbursement checks, according to court documents.

Danielczyk and Biagi face 20 years in prison for obstruction of justice and 10 years for reimbursing contributions and using corporate funds. They face five years for the conspiracy charge. Each count of making a false statement carries a maximum penalty of five years.

One count of reimbursing a contribution is punishable by a fine of up to 10 times the amount of the contribution. The other counts in the indictment can carry a $250,000 fine.