Pay to Play Updates – August 2022

By Benjamin Keane, Michael Zolandz, C. Randall Nuckolls, Michael Pfeifer, and Charlotte Alberts
August 18, 2022

An excerpt of Dentons’ Political Law Playbook.

Former St. Louis Alderman Reaches Plea Deal on Corruption Charges – Last month, former City of St. Louis (MO) Alderman John Collins-Muhammad was indicted by a federal grand jury on bribery charges and now intends to plead guilty after a previous not guilty plea. Collins-Muhammad, along with two other former aldermen, were accused of accepting cash bribes from a local businessman in exchange for helping to shepherd through legislation granting unwarranted tax abatements.

Former HI State Lawmaker English Sentenced To More Than Three Years In Federal Prison – Last month, former Hawaii lawmaker J. Kalani English was sentenced to more than three years in prison for taking over $18,000 dollars in bribes to influence wastewater legislation in the state. English was charged in February along with another former state lawmaker in the scheme to influence bills dealing with wastewater.

About the Political Law Playbook

Dentons’ Political Law Playbook is a monthly update on the most important developments in the areas of political law, government ethics, campaign finance, lobbying and election law. Each edition of Political Law Playbook will cast a spotlight on the unique issues at the intersection of law, policy and politics and give you a window into how the Dentons Political Law, Ethics and Disclosure team can help you navigate the compliance challenges you face.

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Benjamin Keane

About Benjamin Keane

Ben Keane is a Partner in the Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA offices of Dentons and co-head of the firm’s Political Law, Ethics and Disclosure Team. Mr. Keane focuses his practice on the representation of elected officials, political candidates, PACs, SuperPACs, political parties, corporations, non-profit organizations and other entities with regard to federal, state and local election law, campaign finance, lobbying, pay-to-play, and ethics matters. He regularly counsels businesses, trade associations and other non-profits on the establishment and maintenance of successful political law compliance frameworks. Additionally, Mr. Keane assists clients across the country with political law investigation and audit matters involving federal, state and local government authorities, and frequently counsels presidential nominees, appointees and other federal officials on confirmation and ethics matters.

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Michael Zolandz

About Michael Zolandz

Mike Zolandz is the chair of Dentons' Federal Regulatory and Compliance practice, and serves as the Managing Partner for Dentons’ Washington, DC office. Mike focuses his practice on advising clients on their most critical and complex trade compliance and foreign investment projects, specializing in cross-border transactions and regulations related to international commerce.

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C. Randall Nuckolls

About C. Randall Nuckolls

Randy Nuckolls is a partner Dentons’ Washington, D.C. office and is a member of the Public Policy practice. He has more than thirty years of experience working on federal policy issues.

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Michael Pfeifer

About Michael Pfeifer

Michael Pfeifer is member of Dentons' Political Law, Ethics and Disclosure team. The focus of his practice is providing lobbying, campaign finance, and government ethics compliance counsel and representation to trade associations, political action committees (PACs), corporations and other business entities, non-profit organizations and elected officials at the federal, state and local levels.

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Charlotte Alberts

Charlotte Alberts

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