Guilt By Association

My congressman:

The father of Rep. Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Sacramento federal court to two felony counts of election fraud involving the finances of his son’s campaign committee.

Babulal Bera admitted in a plea agreement to U. S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley that during his son’s 2010 and 2012 campaigns for Congress he recruited friends, family members, and acquaintances to make contributions to the committee and reimbursed them with his own money.

The agreement says $268,726 was contributed by the straw donors during the two campaigns. All but $5,326 coming directly or indirectly from Babulal Bera was given back to the donors…

With respect to the two elections, “the government has identified over 130 improper campaign contributions involving approximately 90 contributors,” according to the written plea agreement given to Nunley during Tuesday’s hearing by John Vincent, chief of the criminal division of the U. S. attorney’s office.