Norm Coleman

Coleman Wants To Use Campaign Money For Legal Fees

Zachary Roth | December 17, 2008, 11:35AM

How can Norm Coleman afford the services of Doug Kelley, the high-profile attorney he just hired on connection with the allegations in the Nasser Kazeminy lawsuit? After all, as Kazeminy himself is alleged to have said: "US senators don't make shit."

The answer: he plans to use campaign funds.

"We intend to have any legal fees related to what we believe to be a politically inspired legal action to be covered by the senator's campaign," said Coleman spokesman Luke Friedrich, Politico reports.

The FEC allows politicians to use campaign funds only if their legal bills arise from their official duties or their campaigns. Coleman, a Minnesota GOP senator, has claimed that suit only came to light because of his reelection fight, in which he is currently locked in a recount with Democrat Al Franken -- though many of the allegations pre-date the campaign.

The lawsuit claims that Kazeminy, a friend and supporter of Coleman, used a company he owns, Deep Marine Technologies, to pass money to the senator by making payments to the insurance broker, Hays Insurance, that employs Laurie Coleman, Norm's wife.

Norm Coleman

Lawyer For Coleman's Wife Is "Aggressive Defender of Celebrity Defendants"

Zachary Roth | December 16, 2008, 5:09PM

We told you earlier today that Norm and Laurie Coleman have hired separate lawyers in connection with the FBI investigation into the Nasser Kazeminy allegations.

And here's a bit more evidence that the pair are taking the allegations very seriously indeed:

According to a recent St. Paul Pioneer-Press report (via Nexis), Laurie Coleman's attorney, Earl Gray, is "known as an aggressive defender of celebrity defendants." In other words, Gray doesn't appear to be the kind of lawyer you hire if you don't think you're going to be under much scrutiny.

Here's a quick rundown of some of the high-profile cases Gray has been retained for (all sourced to news reports found via Nexis):

- the "Love Boat" case, in which then-Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, was charged with sexual misconduct stemming from his conduct during a 2005 team boat ride.

- a case earlier this year involving star University of Minnesota football player Dominic Jones, who was accused of rape, and eventually convicted of unwanted sexual conduct, in an incident captured on a cellphone video.

- a city council member who pleaded guilty last month to hiring a prostitute.

- a teacher accused this year of having sex with a 14-year-old student.

- a widely publicized 1984 child-sex ring case.

And despite his name, Earl Gray may not be every prosecutor's cup of tea (sorry!). The Star-Tribune described him in 2006 as "a street-fighter in the courtroom whose aggressive, even abrasive legal tactics can leave prosecutors bruised and bitter."

The paper added:

'He aggressively attacks police and prosecutors for perceived mistakes in a criminal investigation,' said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom ... 'He is very good at creating smoke screens out of nothing.' Fred Karasov, an assistant Hennepin County attorney who has successfully tried cases against Gray, said he 'can be intimidating, aggressive, some would call him abrasive.'

Laurie Coleman is central to the allegations involving her husband. A lawsuit claims that Kazeminy used a company he owns, Deep Marine Technologies, to pass money to Norm Coleman, by making payments to the insurance broker, Hays Insurance, that employs Laurie Coleman.

And we hear that Norm Coleman's lawyer, Doug Kelley, is no wilting flower either. More to come on him, most likely...

Nasser Kazeminy

Separate Lawyers For Norm And Laurie Coleman

Zachary Roth | December 16, 2008, 11:05AM

So Norm Coleman has hired a lawyer in connection with the claims made in the lawsuit against his longtime supporter Nasser Kazeminy. And so has Coleman's wife, Laurie.

But notice that the Colemans hired separate lawyers. That suggests that, perhaps prompted by the news that the FBI is now involved, the Minnesota senator and his wife are taking these allegations very seriously indeed.

Laurie Coleman is central to the allegations involving her husband. The lawsuit claims that Kazeminy used a company he owns, Deep Marine Technologies, to pass money to Norm Coleman, by making payments to the insurance broker, Hays Insurance, that employs Laurie Coleman.

The hiring of separate lawyers could also mean that the Colemans' interests in the case diverge. But we'll have to wait to see how this plays out before drawing any firmer conclusions...

Norm Coleman

Coleman Lawyers Up

Zachary Roth | December 16, 2008, 9:33AM

More signs that Norm Coleman is taking the allegations in the Nasser Kazeminy lawsuit very, very seriously.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that all four of the principals in the alleged scheme to pass money to Coleman -- Kazeminy, Coleman, his wife Laurie Coleman, and Jim Hays of Hays Insurance -- have hired high-powered Minnesota lawyers.

The Strib runs down the details:

Norm Coleman has hired Doug Kelley, Laurie Coleman is represented by Earl Gray, Hays is aligned with Doug Peterson and Kazeminy has secured the services of Joe Friedberg.

Kelley, Gray and Peterson are former federal prosecutors now engaged in criminal defense and white-collar litigation. For years they have been mainstays in the federal judicial system in Minnesota, working cases ranging from fraud to drugs to homicide.

In the past, Friedberg has been the attorney representing Winthrop & Weinstine law firm in Minneapolis, which once employed Coleman and currently claims Kazeminy as a client.

The paper adds:

[T]he attorneys have retained a Twin Cities-based private investigations company composed of former FBI agents to gather information about the case, according to two people with knowledge of the developments.

Last week it was reported that the FBI had launched an investigation into the allegations in the lawsuit, which revolve around charges that Kazeminy, a longtime friend and supporter of Coleman, tried to pass money to the senator by having a Kazeminy-owned company, Deep Marine Technologies, make payments to Hays Insurance, which employed Laurie Coleman. The lawsuit was filed by Paul McKim, the former CEO of Deep Marine.

FBI

Report: FBI Probing Charges In Kazeminy/Coleman Suit

Zachary Roth | December 10, 2008, 9:12AM

The FBI is looking into the allegations against Nasser Kazeminy, a close friend and supporter of Minnesota senator Norm Coleman, reports the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The paper reports: "Agents with the FBI have talked to or made efforts to talk to people in Texas familiar with the allegations, according to a source familiar with the situation."

The lawsuit, filed by the former CEO of a company owned by Kazeminy, alleges, among other things, that Kazeminy tried to use the company, Deep Marine Technologies, to pass money to Coleman via an insurance company that employed the senator's wife.

Coleman's campaign, which is in the midst of a recount against Democrat Al Franken to decide the fate of Coleman's seat, released the following statement last night:

"We are not aware of any investigation that is under way, nor have we been contacted by any agency with respect to this matter. As we have said repeatedly, we welcome any investigation of these lawsuits by the appropriate authorities to get to the bottom of these baseless, sleazy and politically inspired allegations.

That denial -- which Coleman's Senate office had declined to offer to TPMmuckraker despite repeated calls -- would appear to rule out the possibility of Coleman having been contacted by Senate ethics investigators, though there may be wiggle room in the wording. A Minnesota good government group last month called on both the FBI and the Senate to launch probes.

The FBI, contacted by the Pioneer-Press, did not confirm or deny the existence of the investigation.

Norm Coleman

Coleman's Office Won't Say Whether He's Under Investigation In Kazeminy Case

Zachary Roth | December 5, 2008, 3:32PM

Is Norm Coleman under investigation in connection with the claims made in a lawsuit alleging that a longtime supporter, Nasser Kazeminy, used an insurance company that employs Coleman's wife to illegally pass money to Coleman?

Could be...

Last month, a Minnesota good-government group sent letters to the FBI and the Senate ethics committee, calling on both to investigate the charges. Coleman quickly responded by declaring in a statement:

I not only welcome such an investigation, but I am eager to have it move forward immediately.

That forthright response made us wonder whether Coleman -- who currently is locked in a knife-edge recount with Democrat Al Franken to hold onto his Senate seat -- might already have been contacted by investigators, and was trying to get out ahead of the news by appearing to welcome a probe.

Both the FBI and the ethics committee have declined to provide any information about whether they're looking into Coleman.

So we've been calling Coleman's office to ask whether he's heard from investigators. In fact, in the last few weeks, we've left at least ten detailed voicemail messages for Leroy Coleman, the senator's Washington press secretary (and no relation) asking exactly that question. And we've received no response whatsoever.

Which is sort of curious. You'd assume that, had Coleman not been contacted, his press secretary would take 30 seconds to call us back and tell us that.

Draw your own conclusions...

Bailout

Barofsky Hold: Not Norm Coleman...

Zachary Roth | December 1, 2008, 2:13PM

A staffer for Sen. Norm Coleman unequivocally denied to a TPMmuckraker reader that the Minnesota senator is blocking Neil Barofsky's nomination to be inspector general for the bailout, and said that Coleman wants the appointment to go forward.