Three indicted following investigation into illegal donation scheme to Collins campaign, PAC

Three former executives for a defense contractor were indicted on Thursday following an investigation into an alleged scheme to illegally make donations to Republican Sen. Susan Collins's (Maine) campaign and a political action committee (PAC) supporting her during her 2020 reelection bid.

The Department of Justice said in a press release that Martin Kao, Clifford Chen and Lawrence “Kahele” Lum Kee, all of whom the department said were employed by a defense contractor prohibited from making contributions in federal elections, had been indicted for allegedly making unlawful campaign contributions to a candidate for Congress and a PAC.

The release alleged that Kao, Chen and Kee made a shell company so they could use government contractor funds to donate to a PAC aimed at getting a person elected to the U.S. Senate.