The ploy Gill -- and Cooley's Democratic-leaning targets -- executed is fairly simple. In order to skirt campaign contribution limits, a moneyed individual (or company) reimburses various family members, friends, or associates for their contributions. According to LA Weekly, while Cooley was busting Democrats for doing this, he accepted $1,000 from Gill in 2004.
Cooley also received the $1,000 max donation from six contributors tied to Gill by federal prosecutors in their successful case against him for campaign finance fraud. While the Democratic donors Cooley went after were charged on the local level, Gill's scheme funneled money to national politicians and was prosecuted in federal court.
four federal campaigns between 2003 to 2005. He was sentenced to 366 days in a federal prison and mandated to pay a fine of $200,000.
Harris has pounced on the damning LA Weekly story about Cooley's office as energetically as she attempted to refute a damning SF Weekly story about her own office.
At a press conference scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today, she'll call on Cooley to take "immediate action" regarding the six-year-old contributions.
Follow us on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly
