Miami Herald:

Medley defense contractors who won millions in federal earmarks through Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart employed a Capitol Hill lobbyist who pleaded guilty recently in an unfolding congressional corruption probe. ... The lobbyist, Cecelia Grimes, admitted in July to destroying evidence sought by the FBI in its ongoing investigation of ex-Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa. She's the second former Weldon associate to plead guilty and cooperate. Ex-Weldon chief of staff Russell Caso admitted conspiring to help a consulting firm obtain federal funds in exchange for secret payments to his wife.

Court records show the FBI is exploring whether Weldon, once the powerful vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees, supported earmark requests in exchange for fees paid to Grimes' lobbying firm. The firm, now defunct, was Grimes & Young. Grimes' partner was Cindy Young, daughter-in-law of veteran Rep. C.W. ''Bill'' Young, R-St. Petersburg.

Records show Mark Two paid Grimes, Weldon's friend and ex-real estate agent, $20,000 in 2006 to lobby the House for ``defense appropriations and authorizations.'' Grimes approached Locust President Enrique J. Enriquez after he spoke before Weldon committees regarding the contracting needs of small companies, said Locust attorney Nick Christin. But Christin said Grimes ``never generated any business for Mark Two or Locust.'' William Box, chairman of both companies, said he didn't know Mark Two paid Grimes to lobby. ''That's news to me,'' he said. ``I'm bothered that we apparently paid $20,000 for nothing.''

More:

Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart has procured millions in federal funding to benefit a small Miami-Dade defense-contracting group that has donated tens of thousands of dollars to his political campaign and that of his brother, fellow U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart.

Medley contractors Locust USA and Mark Two Engineering began contributing to the Diaz-Balarts' campaigns and political action committees in 2001, the year Locust secured its first small defense contract. Through this year, those contributions totaled more than $67,000.

Locust was awarded $20.8 million in Pentagon research and development contracts from 2001-2007, federal contracting records show.

At least 44 percent, $9.2 million, came through Congressional earmarks sponsored by Lincoln Diaz-Balart, The Miami Herald found. The largest -- $3.7 million -- came in 2006.

Posted by Laura at October 5, 2008 08:06 AM