Super PAC Backing Rep. Murphy’s U.S. Senate Bid May Have Accepted Illegal Contributions

Mar 11, 2016

Floridians for a Strong Middle Class, a super PAC supporting Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy’s U.S. Senate bid, may have accepted $50,000 in illegal, possibly criminal contributions from a limited liability company owned by Nicholas Mastroianni II, a Palm Beach investment broker and developer with a checkered business past.

“It appears to be a straw donation, or a contribution made in the name of another, which is illegal,” said Larry Noble, general counsel for watchdog group The Campaign Legal Center. “In our view, you should really be listing the name of the person and not the LLC.”

Ashley Walker, a senior adviser for Floridians, said the Political Action Committee has not broken any campaign finance laws. “Floridians for a Strong Middle Class is a federally registered PAC, and our contributions meet the requirements of federal rules and regulations,” Walker told FloridaBulldog.org. She did not provide further comment.

[vc_btn title=”More on the Super PAC” style=”outline” color=”primary” size=”lg” align=”left” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.floridabulldog.org%2F2016%2F03%2Frep-murphys-u-s-senate-bid%2F|title:More%20on%20the%20Super%20PAC|target:%20_blank”][vc_message message_box_style=”3d” message_box_color=”turquoise”]

By Francisco Alvarado, FloridaBulldog.org, Special to SouthFloridaReporter.com, Mar. 11, 2016

[/vc_message]