FBI Investigating Former FEC Staffer

[Judi Lynn]

FBI Investigating Former FEC Staffer
By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer

Thursday, March 9, 2006
(03-09) 10:24 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --

The FBI is investigating allegations a Federal Election Commission official tried to secretly obtain $100,000 in agency money to settle an employee harassment complaint against him.

The FEC in December abruptly announced the retirement of staff director James Pehrkon, but the commission and Pehrkon declined at the time to comment on his departure.

According to court documents that surfaced this week, Pehrkon is suspected of trying to secretly negotiate a six-figure government settlement with a female subordinate who had filed an employment discrimination complaint accusing him of creating a hostile work environment.

The crux of the investigation is revealed in an FBI search warrant application obtained by Political Money Line, a nonpartisan campaign finance tracking service, and posted this week on its Web site. Court documents show a judge gave the FBI permission to search the FEC offices and computers of Pehrkon and the other two staffers.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/03/09/national/w102410S08.DTL

[UpInArms]

1. FBI Investigating Former FEC Staffer (sex, lies, theft)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=513&e=9&u=/ap/20060309/ap_on_go_ot/fec_probe

WASHINGTON - The FBI is investigating allegations a Federal Election Commission official tried to secretly obtain $100,000 in agency money to settle an employee harassment complaint against him.

The FEC in December abruptly announced the retirement of staff director James Pehrkon, but the commission and Pehrkon declined at the time to comment on his departure.

According to court documents that surfaced this week, Pehrkon is suspected of trying to secretly negotiate a six-figure government settlement with a female subordinate who had filed an employment discrimination complaint accusing him of creating a hostile work environment.

Pehrkon and two commission employees suspected of helping him hide the complaint from the FEC's six commissioners were placed on administrative leave after commissioners learned of the allegations in October.

The crux of the investigation is laid out in an FBI search warrant application obtained by Political Money Line, a nonpartisan campaign finance tracking service, and posted this week on its Web site. Court documents show a judge gave the FBI permission to search the FEC offices and computers of Pehrkon and the other two staffers.

According to the FBI's search warrant application, Pehrkon was unable to get the $100,000, and then offered the female employee mentoring and training opportunities and payment of her legal fees in the case. With the help of one of the other employees under investigation, Pehrkon then tried to obtain $10,000 in FEC money to pay a consulting firm hired without the commission's knowledge to negotiate the settlement, the FBI search request says.

...more...