Witness Ties Illicit Funds to 2 Officials

A witness in the political corruption trial of Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno testified Friday that he helped a Santa Ana businessman funnel $2,249 in illegal campaign contributions to Sheriff Mike Carona and Santa Ana Mayor Miguel A. Pulido.

Donors are prohibited by law from giving more than $1,000 to a candidate or using other people to hide the true source of contributions. The witness said businessman Jack Blackburn gave him the $2,249 with the intent that other people would funnel the money into Pulido’s and Carona’s campaigns under their names.

The issue came to light during the first day of testimony in the trial of Moreno, who is accused of accepting $31,000 from a gas station owner who wanted city approval for a beer and wine permit.

It’s unclear what connection--if any--the donations to Pulido’s and Carona’s campaigns have with Moreno’s case.

Carona said he was unaware of any improper campaign contributions.

“This is the first that I’ve heard about it,” he said. “If there needs to be an investigation, they can pull our files and we can show them all our documents.”

Carona said his campaign staff members did everything they could to avoid possible problems by explaining contribution laws to all fund-raisers. Campaign workers then scrutinized donations and returned any given improperly, he said.

Pulido could not be reached for comment, but some campaign finance experts said that candidates often have no way of knowing whether the money they receive is actually from the people who claim to donate it.

“I would venture to say that neither [Carona or Pulido] would knowingly accept laundered money,” said Shirley Grindle, the campaign reform activist who helped author the county’s campaign laws. “It’s simply not worth it to them.”

The most recent case of money being improperly contributed to an Orange County official occurred in the mid-1990s when a developer gave Supervisor Jim Silva $4,000.

Silva said he ended up giving that money to a charity and didn’t vote on any projects involving the developer.

“You just assume what people tell you is correct,” he said. “There’s no way you can investigate hundreds of people that donate to the campaign.”

The controversy centers on Fountain Valley real estate agent John R. Hartman, who on the witness stand Friday described the alleged effort to get the questionable contributions to Carona and Pulido.

He testified that Blackburn, a Santa Ana businessman who until recently operated two drug rehabilitation facilities, told him to distribute the $2,249 through other donors. Two of Hartman’s associates donated $1,000 each to Carona’s campaign. The remainder was donated to Pulido, though it’s unclear by whom.

Blackburn was not available for comment Friday.

During cross-examination, Hartman acknowledged that federal agents have granted him limited immunity in exchange for information. But he said that he could still be prosecuted for his role in the contributions to Carona and Pulido.

The district attorney’s office said it’s not looking into the case, and federal prosecutors declined to comment.