Michael Grimm’s Ex-Girlfriend Pleads Not Guilty To Campaign Finance Violations
Michael Grimm’s ex-girlfriend Diana Durand, 48, pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges that she violated federal campaign laws.
Her lawyer said she didn’t know she was doing anything wrong, according to the Daily News. The lawyer, Stuart Kaplan, added, “My client is not a sophisticated woman.”
Durand is facing a three-count indictment for felony violations of federal campaign finance law for allegedly reimbursing three straw donors a total of $10,600 in contributions to Grimm’s campaign. These alleged activity was uncovered during a two-year federal investigation into Grimm’s fundraising, which is still ongoing.
The Daily News writes:
Durand was arraigned one week to the day after Grimm was charged in the same courthouse with fraud, tax evasion, perjury and hiring undocumented workers at a health food restaurant he co-owned.
And:
Durand, a Houston-based single mom employed by a company that sells oil products, was romantically involved with Grimm while he pursued business ventures in Texas before his election to Congress. She faces a maximum of eight years in prison if convicted of all the charges, her lawyer said.
He lawyer also said that Durand probably wouldn’t even be in court if she didn’t have a relationship to Grimm and that it was all political, echoing what Grimm has said about his own troubles.
Meanwhile, Grimm spent his first weekend in the wake of the 20-count indictment strolling Staten Island’s Midland Beach, an area that bore the full brunt of Superstorm Sandy. In a New York 1 video of Grimm in Staten Island, he’s seen talking to members of the disaster relief organization, Yellow Boots. According to NY1 he was there to tour Sandy hit homes but one can’t help and wonder how heavy the indictment charges sit on him.
He told the new channel:
“I think I said it very clearly, I’m back to work. This is my primary focuses doing my job everyday. The people of Staten Island and Brooklyn pay my salary,to work for them so that’s what I do and this is part of that,” Grimm said.
Domenic Recchia, his Democratic challenger for this year’s midterm election, was on the same island also touring Sandy hit homes and campaigning.
“Michael Grimm has to decide what’s best for him. He has a lot of issues and he has to deal with them himself. But this is not about Michael Grimm. I didn’t get into this race, you know, I got into this race because I’m going to win. We deserve better,” Recchia said.