Attorneys for a friend and donor of former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) say federal investigators have closed a years-long investigation into their client, financier Nasser Kazeminy, The Pioneer Press reports. The investigation stemmed from lawsuits involving a company Kazeminy owned, in which it was alleged he had tried to funnel up to $100,000 to Coleman’s wife.
Attorneys for Bloomington financier Nasser Kazeminy - including former FBI Director Louis Freeh - said no criminal charges will be filed and called the development “vindication” for Kazeminy and Coleman of the allegation that surfaced in the final days of his failed 2008 re-election campaign.
The paper also reports that at a press conference on Tuesday, Freeh acknowledged that on “one or two” occasions before Coleman became a U.S. Senator, Kazeminy had purchased suits for him at a Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis. In 2008, Coleman and his campaign had denied that the purchases had happened. But while making the acknowledgement, Freeh said that Coleman never broke any laws or disclosure requirements — because the purchases occurred before he was in office.
Both Coleman and Kazeminy released statements, though neither appeared at the press conference.
“The decision of the Department of Justice to close the file on false allegations made against me, my wife, Laurie, and my friend Nasser Kazeminy is welcomed, but not a surprise,” Coleman said in his statement. “We know today what we knew in 2008 to be true: A disgruntled businessman in Texas lied to extort money. My political opponents turned those lies into multimillion-dollar attacks against my family and Nasser Kazeminy….Certainly, Nasser deserves better than this. I celebrate today’s announcement as one step closer to giving the Kazeminy family back their good name.”
Kazeminy wrote that Tuesday was “a day of vindication for my family and loved ones, and for all those who stood by our side during this difficult time.”
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Read TPM’s past coverage of the Kazeminy story here.
Eric Lach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpointsmemo.com
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