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Obama Supporters Face Indictment, Charges

By Mark Impomeni
May 8th 2008 10:00PM

Filed Under:eBarack Obama, 2008 President, Scandal, Investigations

With Puerto Rico's Democratic primary approaching, Sen. Barack Obama may begin to face questions about two of his biggest supporters on the island. Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila, a co-chair of Obama's campaign in Puerto Rico was indicted by Federal prosecutors along with 12 others on March 27th in what prosecutors called the largest government corruption scandal in Puerto Rico's history. Vila was charged with receiving cash and gifts in the form of expensive suits, vacations for his family and children, and personal contributions to enhance his salary. Vila also is alleged to have had his credit card bills paid by private companies and his campaign debts paid by Puerto Rican business interests. Vila also stands accused of steering contracts to his fundraisers, based in Philadelphia. In all, the so-called "Philadelphia connection" netted $180,000 for Vila's 2004 gubernatorial campaign.

Gov. Vila denied the charges, calling them, "totally false," and saying that, "I have never asked for or accepted a donation in exchange for a government contract." The Obama campaign replaced Vila as a co-chair of its Puerto Rico effort when the charges were announced. But now, there are indications that a second Obama co-chair in Puerto Rico is under investigation by the island's Justice Department. Eduardo Bhatia, a former candidate for mayor of San Juan and a current Popular Democratic Party candidate for Puerto Rico's Senate was allegedly named by the FBI as a person of interest in a referral to the Justice Department according to an April 22nd article in the San Juan Star (subscription required). Bhatia also denies the charges. The revelations may be troublesome for Obama, whose prominent Chicago fundraiser and booster Tony Rezko's public corruption trial just came to an end.

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