SAN ANTONIO -- Texas Rangers searched the office of a well-known public relations executive Thursday as part of an investigation into illegal campaign financing, KSAT 12 News reported.
According to a search warrant, in March, BexarMet public relations representative T.J. Connolly gave five employees $250, which later was contributed to the campaign of Blanche Atkinson, who was running for a seat on the BexarMet board of directors.
The alleged funneling of money happened one month after BexarMet doubled Connolly's salary from $5,000 to $10,000, the search warrant stated.
The warrant also stated that less than two weeks later, Water Exploration Company, which provides water to BexarMet, issued two checks for $4,000 to Connolly, who then issued a $4,000 check to Atkinson's campaign and to Lindsay Smith, one of his employees.
Smith then wrote a $4,000 check to James Fenimore, another candidate who was running for a BexarMet board of director's seat, the search warrant stated.
Connolly was out of the country and could not be reached for comment, but BexarMet General Manager Gil Olivares told KSAT 12 News that he no had knowledge of the alleged money laundering.
"T.J. put in a tremendous amount of hours," Olivares said. "He asked for a raise and he recommended it, believing it was justified. I had no knowledge any of the money would be used for any campaign."
Atkinson told KSAT 12 News that she never received any money from Connolly.
"This is all a shock to me," she said. "I am confident I will be cleared. I received no money from Connolly. The allegations are untrue and it will be proven."
Fenimore couldn't be reached for a comment.
According to the search warrant, Connolly is accused of taking contributions or expenditures in another's name, coercion, unlawful direct campaign expenditures, unlawfully making or accepting contributions and unlawfully making expenditures.
No arrests or charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.
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