NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Two international businessmen agreed to illegally funnel donations to Sen. Robert Torricelli's 1996 campaign, hoping their businesses might prosper if he won, one of the executives said.
Cha-Kuek Koo, an executive with a South Korean conglomerate, pleaded guilty Thursday to making campaign contributions in the name of another person, admitting he recruited eight "straw" donors at the behest of David Chang.Chang, who operated several international trading companies, gave him $20,000 cash to reimburse the donors in Torricelli's campaign, Koo said.
Koo, 54, is the fifth person to admit wrongdoing with regard to fund raising and has agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department's Campaign Financing Task Force.