FBI Probing Florida Rep. Mahoney

[The Backlash Cometh]

FBI Probing Florida Rep. Mahoney
Investigators Looking Into If Hiring His Mistress Was a Crime


The FBI has begun questioning witnesses as part of its investigation in whether outgoing Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) violated any laws in putting his former mistress on the congressional payroll, sources familiar with the probe tell ABCNews.com.

Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) showed up at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee last month where Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke addressed problems with the $700 billion bailout program.
(ABC)

The sources say that the FBI is focusing whether Mahoney may have made false statements in hiring his then mistress, Patricia Allen, in his congressional office.

Exactly how many people the FBI has questioned is unclear, but agents, based in West Palm Beach, flew to Washington DC earlier this month to question people who have worked with Mahoney. They have also questioned people in Florida, but the probe does not appear to have reached the stage of a grand jury.

An FBI official could not be reached for comment.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6511817&page=1