CROOKED CASH

DeSantis Campaign Won’t Give Back $213K Donated by Fugitive

Ahmad Khawaja, who has been charged with wire fraud and making straw donations, is fighting extradition back to the U.S.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign has declined to return $213,000 in donations from a fugitive accused of making several illegal donations, the Miami Herald reported Thursday. Ahmad Khawaja, who has been charged with wire fraud and making straw donations, is considered a fugitive and is fighting extradition back to the U.S. He ran an online payments processing company called Allied Wallet, Inc. and donated the $213,000 in 2018 when DeSantis first ran for governor. According to the Miami Herald, he also gave more than $4 million to Democrats in 2016 like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders—both of whom returned the money or donated it to charity after reports surfaced about Khawaja’s alleged activity—but most recently, he’s donated to Republican campaigns like Donald Trump’s. DeSantis’ campaign did not respond to the Herald’s requests for comment.