Weldon(R-numbnut) daughter house raided by the FBI

FBI raids home of Weldon's daughter - Yahoo! News FBI raids home of Weldon's daughter By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press WriterTue Oct 17, 4:13 AM ET Three weeks before Election Day, an FBI corruption probe involving Republican Rep. Curt Weldon (news, bio, voting record) intensified as agents raided the homes of his daughter and a close friend. The FBI swept in Monday and searched six sites in the Philadelphia area and Jacksonville, Fla., including Karen Weldon's lobbying firm and one of its clients, a Russian energy company, FBI spokeswoman Debbie Weierman said. The congressman's home and offices were not searched, she said. "I have not done anything wrong and my daughter hasn't either," Weldon said at a news conference late Monday afternoon. "I would absolutely never use my position to help anyone in an unusual way." Federal investigators are looking into whether Weldon used his influence to help Solutions North America secure lobbying contracts worth $1 million from foreign clients, two people familiar with the inquiry have told The Associated Press. The company is run by Karen Weldon and Charles P. Sexton Jr., whose home was searched by the FBI. Sexton is a close friend and adviser to the lawmaker. Weldon called the timing of the raids suspect. The 10-term congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs, who is vice chairman of the House Armed Services committee, is locked in a tight race with Democrat Joe Sestak, a retired Navy vice admiral. "What I find ironic, if there is an investigation, is that no one would tell me until three weeks before the election," Weldon said. "This incident was 2 1/2 years ago." Karen Weldon, 32, previously worked for Boeing Co., which has a helicopter plant just outside Weldon's district. Her attorney, Joseph Fioravanti, did not return a telephone message on Monday. Sexton did not return a message left Monday at his home. The FBI also searched two Jacksonville-area properties of Itera International Energy Corp., including its headquarters, Weierman said. The Russian natural gas firm was paying Solutions $500,000 a year for public-relations help, according to a 2004 Los Angeles Times article. Around the same time, Weldon gathered 30 colleagues for a dinner in Washington honoring Itera's chairman, the newspaper reported.