(Published Saturday, March 3, 2007 01:04:51 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Mike DuPre/Gazette Staff
JANESVILLE-Rep. Paul Ryan said Friday that contributions that his campaigns received from the family of Kenosha businessman are different from those that brought a federal indictment against the man.
Nevertheless, if any of the donations are found to be illegal, Ryan said he will donate the money to charity or refund the contributions if he is not allowed to pass them along to charity.
Dennis Troha, 60, a millionaire who made his money in trucking, was charged Thursday with fraud and lying to federal investigators.
Troha has been trying for years to get into the gambling business by establishing an Indian casino in Kenosha. He was charged with illegally funneling $100,000 in donations to Gov. Jim Doyle's campaign and other political entities, then making materially false statements to investigators.
Ryan, a Janesville Republican, has received more than $50,000 from the Troha family since 2001.
The difference between donations to his campaign and to the Doyle re-election effort was that the Troha family's contributions to Ryan's war chest came at fund-raising events, not through the mail or by other means, Ryan said.
The indictment against Troha alleges he channeled $100,000 from a company he controlled to his children, who then almost immediately gave it to Doyle's campaigns in 2002 and 2006.
"They're quite different," Ryan said of $2,100 and $2,000 donations he received on different occasions from several different Trohas.
"The contributions to our campaign were made at fund-raising events. The Trohas regularly came to our fund-raisers," Ryan said
"They're a big family. There are other big families in Janesville, Kenosha and throughout the (1st Congressional) district," Ryan said. "Each contribution came at a fund-raising event.
"None of our contributions are listed in the indictment."
Nevertheless, "it's very troubling," Ryan said, adding that he was anxious to see if any Troha contributions to his campaigns were questionable.
In a prepared statement, Ryan said:
"After reviewing the indictment, it is clear that none of the Troha family's contributions to the Ryan for Congress campaign are in legal question at this time. If that fact should change, I'll comply with whatever remedial action is appropriate, up to and including returning or donating the contributions.
"Over the course of seven years, these constituents regularly attended our Kenosha fund-raising events, along with hundreds of other Kenosha residents. Their contributions were properly received and reported to the Federal Election Commission."
His campaign staffers log donations by computer, Ryan said, and a review of the electronic records so far indicated that all Troha donations were made at fund-raisers in Kenosha.
Ryan said he is neutral on casino proposals because his constituents vote directly on them.
But he added that he has asked federal officials about the status of both Troha's casino proposal for Kenosha and a proposed Beloit casino-when Beloit was still in the 1st District-as he would ask about any constituent's business dealings with the federal government if asked to do so.
