Edwards May Be in Trouble

Wowsers:

Sen. John Edwards’ presidential campaign finance documents show a pattern of giving by low-level employees at law firms, a number of whom appear to have limited financial resources and no prior record of political donations.

[...]

In many instances, all the checks from a given firm arrived on the same day — from partners, attorneys, and other support staff.

Some of these support staff have not voted in the past, and those who have voted include registered Republicans, according to public records on file with various county registrars of voting.

[...]

Several newspapers have reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun a criminal investigation into donations to the Edwards campaign from an Arkansas personal injury law firm. Michelle Abu-Halmeh, a legal assistant at Turner & Associates, told The Washington Post last month that she expected to be reimbursed by her boss for her $2,000 contribution.

According to the Federal Election Campaign Act, contributions by an individual or entity to a political campaign in the name of another person are prohibited. Both the named and concealed donors are liable. The campaign is also liable if it knowingly accepts conduit funds.

This could be a big deal. A lot of the info in the article is circumstantial, but there appears to be a lot of places to look for more substantial evidence.

Source: Donations to Sen. Edwards questioned

Hat tip: Drudge