Panhandler Developer Guilty In Presidential Campaign Finance Case

February 13, 2013

Panhandle developer Jay Odom could face up to five years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday in a scheme to funnel campaign contributions through employees or their family members, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Odom, 56, of Destin, entered the plea to one count of causing a presidential campaign committee to make a false statement to the Federal Election Commission.

Odom, who has been a large Republican donor in the past, was accused of soliciting employees and their family members in 2007 to make maximum contributions to the campaign of a presidential candidate and then reimbursing them for the contributions.

The news release indicates the scheme involved $23,000, through it does not name the presidential candidate. Odom, who entered the plea before Senior U.S. District Judge Lacey A. Collier, is scheduled for sentencing April 23.

Odom also was a prominent player in an airplane-hanger controversy that led to the exodus of former House Speaker Ray Sansom from the Legislature in 2009.

Comments

5 Responses to “Panhandler Developer Guilty In Presidential Campaign Finance Case”

  1. Just Me on February 14th, 2013 11:54 am

    Only because he’s republican. The democrats have been getting away with it for over 4 yrs now…..

  2. Abe on February 14th, 2013 7:21 am

    Jindal said it right.

  3. melodies4us on February 13th, 2013 10:25 pm

    The more Republicans alert attention to themselves, the more turned off people become.

  4. bill on February 13th, 2013 7:21 am

    First he gets Ray Samsom in trouble with his hanger deal and now this. Jay Odom must think he can use money to bully and buy people like J. P. Morgan did but times have changed and he doesn’t have as much money and power as the old robber barrons.

  5. Abe on February 13th, 2013 7:19 am

    Now we’ll never know who the presidential candidate was.

    If you see one roach you probably have hundreds that you have not seen.
    We’ve seen two come out of the GOP woodwork in the last couple days.