Woman Accused Of Illegally Funneling Money To Michael Grimm Will Not Implicate Congressman

Diana Durand, a former beau of Congressman Michael Grimm who was arrested in January for illegally funneling money to the Republican pol’s campaign, will not implicate the congressman in the scheme, squashing a plea deal.

The Daily News reports:

“This is not about Dianna Durand. This is about Michael Grimm,” [Durand’s attorney Stuart] Kaplan told the Daily News Tuesday. “They think that she is in a position to provide information about him.”

Kaplan said the case is headed to trial. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York are expected to seek an indictment of Durand in the next few weeks.

Durand, 47, was cuffed in January and charged with violating federal campaign laws to steer money to Grimm. Prosecutors say she found and used straw donors to accept donations that exceeded the $4,800 legal maximum to support his 2010 campaign. She faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.

According to Durand’s lawyer, her prosecution is part of an effort to bring down the congressman, but his client has nothing to offer. He said that Durand’s actions were driven by ignorance of the law, and the pol wasn’t aware of her actions.