- The Washington Times - Sunday, December 5, 2010

A prominent New York financial manager plans to plead guilty to making false statements to federal election regulators involving tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, in a two-page charging document filed Friday, said Evan H. Snapper caused the Clinton campaign “unwittingly to file materially false reports” with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

These reports showed that 21 unnamed persons had given $2,300 each to Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign when, in fact, Mr. Snapper “well knew” that the money actually had come from somebody federal authorities identified only as “Person A,” according to the filings.

Mrs. Clinton now serves as secretary of state in the Obama administration.

Evan Barr, an attorney for Mr. Snapper, declined to comment on the case Friday.

Mr. Snapper is listed as a $2,300 contributor to the Clinton campaign, according to FEC filings. He disclosed his employer on the FEC filings as Anchin Block & Anchin LLP, an accounting and consulting firm in New York.

The company, in a statement Friday, said Mr. Snapper, a principal with its business management services team, had resigned effective Dec. 1 as a member of the firm. The company said Mr. Snapper has signed a plea deal and planned to plead guilty to a charge of causing a false report to be filed with the FEC. No hearing date has been scheduled, according to court records.

The company said it “deeply regrets the events that occurred that led to this conclusion.”

“We have cooperated fully with all government inquiries and will continue to do so,” said managing partner Frank A. Schettino.

He said no charges had been brought against the company and there was “no reason to believe that any action will be taken against the firm in the future.”

In addition, he said the company ordered an internal investigation after learning about Mr. Snapper’s actions and reported the results to “the appropriate governmental authorities.”

Officials with the Clinton campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.

A biography on the Anchin website before Mr. Snapper’s resignation noted that he specialized in financial planning for “high net worth individuals, entertainers, key corporate executives and foreign nationals.”

He has been quoted widely and appeared on programs such as the “Today Show,” “CNN Headline News” and “Late Night With David Letterman,” according to the company’s website.

Since 2006, Mr. Snapper has donated more than $10,000 to federal elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Last year, he was sued along with Anchin, Block & Anchin by mystery novelist Patricia Cornwell, who charged in court documents that she lost millions of dollars because of negligence by financial managers. The firm and Mr. Snapper are fighting the lawsuit in federal court in Massachusetts.

• Jim McElhatton can be reached at jmcelhatton@washingtontimes.com.

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