Las Vegas man, 7 others, indicted on campaign finance charges

WASHINGTON — A Las Vegas wine and cigar store owner is one of several people indicted by the Justice Department in a case that has drawn national attention over a campaign contribution scheme to gain influence with political leaders in both parties.

Roy Boulos, 52, of Las Vegas is one of eight people named in an unsealed indictment and charged by the Justice Department with conspiring to make and conceal excessive campaign contributions during the 2016 presidential election.

The case has garnered national attention because one of those indicted, George Nader, was a major donor to Hillary Clinton and also a witness in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Nader had close ties to Clinton and Trump administration officials, according to published accounts.

Also indicted was Ahmad “Andy” Khawaja, 48, of Los Angeles, who allegedly conspired with Nader to conceal the source of $3.5 million in campaign contributions directed to political committees associated with a 2016 presidential candidate.

The indictment charges seven defendants, including Boulos, of conspiring with Khawaja and other defendants to make contributions through other conduits to conceal excessive contributions.

Active donor

Reached at his Summerlin store, Roy’s Wine and Cigars, Boulos and his wife, Betty, declined to comment and referred questions to attorney David Chesnoff.

Chesnoff, a nationally known criminal defense lawyer in Las Vegas, did not immediately return a request for comment.

Boulos was an active donor to political candidates, parties and committees during the past presidential election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission records.

In addition to donations to Democratic Party organizations in multiple states, including Nevada, Boulos also gave more than $300,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund and committees supporting her candidacy, according to records on the election commission’s website.

After the 2016 election, Boulos gave more than $135,000 to the Republican National Committee, records show.

Boulos was registered as a Republican in Clark County in 2016, state records show.

Others named in the indictment were Rudy Dekermenjian, Mohammad “Moe” Diab, Rani El-Saadi, Stevan Hill and Thayne Whipple.

Bipartisan donations

The indictment charges the group with concealing $1.8 million in excessive campaign contributions between 2016 and 2018 to political committees. It also charges them with lying to the FBI and obstructing a grand jury investigation.

The indictments were announced by Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Timothy Slater, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Although the indictment does not identify the presidential candidate who received the contributions, the New York Times reported that Khawaja, a chief executive officer for an online payments company, held a fundraiser in California for Hillary Clinton.

The contributions were used by Khawaja to gain influence with high-level political figures, including “the candidate.”

Contributions to gain access

An Associated Press investigation last year found that Khawaja used campaign contributions to gain access to Clinton, and they were made before the election. After the election, contributions went to Republican committees.

Khawaja received an Oval Office reception with President Donald Trump after his inauguration.

Nader was a frequent White House visitor and had ties to the United Arab Emirates’ crown prince, according to the New York Times report.

That account noted that Nader was instrumental in connecting Trump administration officials, notably Stephen Bannon and Jared Kushner, with others who had interests in Russia and the Middle East.

Nader was listed as a cooperating witness in the Mueller report on Russian meddling.

Nader is currently in federal custody on child pornography charges.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.