Indicted Legislator Raises $250,000 : Finances: Pat Nolan has paid out most of the money to his attorney in his defense of federal corruption charges.

Assemblyman Pat Nolan, facing federal charges stemming from the FBI’s Capitol sting, raised nearly $250,000 in the two months after he was indicted and paid most of it to his defense lawyer, state records show.

Nolan, 42, a Glendale Republican and former Assembly minority leader, was indicted April 27 on charges of money laundering, extortion, conspiracy and racketeering. He was accused of extorting campaign contributions in return for action on pending legislation.

Since the indictment date, Nolan has raised more than $247,000 in campaign contributions, according to financial disclosure documents filed with the secretary of state.

During the first six months of this year, Nolan raised a total of more than $341,000, one of the highest totals of any Sacramento lawmaker.

The records show Nolan paid his defense lawyer, Ephraim Margolin of San Francisco, $206,419 in seven payments and accelerated his fund-raising efforts after the indictment was announced. The largest contribution, on June 24, was $51,420 from Fieldstead & Co. of Irvine. There were two $25,000 payments--one from Pasadena engineering company President Joseph Jacobs on June 21, the other from Southern California land company executive William Huston on May 11.

Nolan, who has denied any wrongdoing and said his prosecution is politically motivated, was traveling and could not be reached for comment. But his staff provided a copy of a memorandum written by campaign treasurer Bob Marshall, who lauded Nolan’s fund-raising efforts.

“This gives Pat the largest number of individual contributors of any legislator in Sacramento,” Marshall said in a memo to campaign workers. The contributions averaged $432.75.

Marshall added that it was “particularly impressive” that most of the money “was contributed after the indictment. While Pat will never be able to match the unlimited federal treasury, we hope to raise enough so he can defend himself and run a full-scale campaign.”

Nolan was indicted with state Sen. Frank Hill, R-Whittier and lobbyist Terry Frost in the latest charges developed by the FBI’s undercover investigation of Capitol corruption.

Hill’s report shows he raised $113,595 during the six-month period, and his expenditures included a $50,000 payment to the Los Angeles law firm of Howrey & Simon.

Hill, who also has denied any wrongdoing, was accused of charges similar to Nolan’s. Frost was named on one count of conspiracy to commit extortion.