Florida GOP Police Blotter #14: Top GOP fundraiser/donor indicted for fraud

I never get tired of seeing Republican "leaders," especially in Florida, get caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Oh, yes, I know there is corruption on the left side of the aisle, too ... but for every corrupt Democrat you can show me, I'm quite sure I can show you at least a dozen GOP scofflaws.

Today's example of this is Dr. Alan Mendelsohn, a Hollywood ophthalmologist who has been charged with hindering a state investigation into possible insurance fraud.

[Mendelsohn] surrendered to FBI agents on charges linked to his alleged efforts to thwart a 2000-2005 state investigation into Mutual Benefits Corp., a Fort Lauderdale life insurance company.

An indictment charges Mendelsohn with wire and mail fraud, aiding and abetting wire and mail fraud, and making false statements related to a fraudulent fundraising and lobbying scheme, according to prosecutors.

Mendelsohn raised more than a half-million dollars from Mutual Benefits in 2003 to finance the hiring of a dozen lobbyists and make contributions to lawmakers to stop legislation that would have tightened regulations on the so-called viatical industry. The industry sold life insurance policies of people dying of AIDS and other diseases.

That's quite a laundry list of charges there, Dr. Mendelsohn. What do you suppose all your highly-placed buddies would have to say about that?

Over the past decade, Mendelsohn and his political action committees raised about $2 million from Mutual Benefits, doctors and others for state candidates, including Crist's bid for governor in 2006.

Mutual Benefits gave $525,000 to one of Mendelsohn's PACs, Alliance for Florida's Future, in 2003.

Mendelsohn also was the former legislative director for the Florida Society of Ophthalmology, whose PAC raised more than $1 million over the past decade. Campaign finance records show that money from the ophthalmology PAC was transferred to the Alliance for Florida's Future PAC.

After [Mutual Benefits' former CEO Joel] Steinger turned on Mendelsohn, the ophthalmologist — who had a reputation for boasting of his political connections to GOP lawmakers — tried to help his own defense by working with the FBI starting in the summer of 2007, the sources said.

Mendelsohn claimed that he was able to win over [Gov. Charlie] Crist, [now-U.S. Sen. George] LeMieux, [Crist's general counsel Paul] Huck and others on Steinger's behalf.

To bolster his claim to the FBI, Mendelsohn made a secretly recorded call to LeMieux at the governor's office in July 2007. LeMieux, who served as a deputy attorney general under Crist when he was attorney general, had just managed Crist's successful campaign for governor.

In the call, the doctor spoke about Mutual Benefits and how he had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for candidates and lobbyists to help the firm's legal and political efforts in Tallahassee, sources said.

To LeMieux, the call seemed suspicious, as if Mendelsohn were trying to implicate him, the governor and others, sources said. LeMieux alerted Huck, who called the FBI.

Ah, I see ... they loved the doctor when his dollars were flowing to their campaigns, but as soon as the heat was turned up, they threw him under the bus. Nice.

So, Sen. LeMieux and Gov. Crist (who, contrary to popular belief, are not one and the same) .... you're just going to let your buddy rot on the police blotter? You just don't like him now that he's in trouble?

Figures. Your hands probably are dirty enough as it is.