One of Romney's Top Sarasota Fundraisers Faces Scrutiny

In advance of his Florida visit, news is breaking one of Mitt Romney’s top Sarasota fundraisers is under FBI investigation. Romney and his donor will be in good company with embattled Congressman Vern Buchanan – also under investigation – who will serve on the host committee. Looks like you can’t spell Republican fundraiser without the letters F-B-I.

Sarasota Herald-Tribune: One of Romney’s top Sarasota fundraisers faces scrutiny

By Jeremy Wallace, Herald-Tribune
Thursday, November 10, 2011

One of presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s most prominent donors in Sarasota County is facing increased scrutiny from state and federal authorities, Bloomberg News is reporting.

The news agency is reporting that state and federal investigators are looking into the medical and lawyer referrel network created by Siesta Key resident Gary Kompothecras, who has been named a co-chair of Romney’s statewide finance team and is expected to be at a fundraiser with Romney on Monday in Sarasota.

Bloomberg reports that Florida’s Division of Insurance Fraud is conducting a criminal probe of accident-referral services that are part of the 1-800-Ask-Gary network and that the FBI is looking into whether attorneys connected to Ask-Gary are directing medical treatments based upon how much insurange coverage that accident victims have.

Kompothecras is well known in Republican circles as one of the region’s biggest campaign donors. He made headlines in 2010 when he organized the first big fundraiser for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist after Crist switched his party affiliation to independent to run for the U.S. Senate.

Kompethecras (pronounced kom-PATH-us-kras) is widely known because of his 1-800 referral service – which became even more famous after Kompethecras bought the naming rights to the former Ford Ampitheater at the florida state fairgounds.

It’s now the 1-800 Ask-Gary Amphitheatre.

Read the Bloomberg News story here.

Read more about Kompothecras’s history and background in this 2009 Herald-Tribune story here.

http://htpolitics.com/2011/11/10/one-of-romneys-top-sarasota-fundraisers-faces-scrutiny/