There’s a very suspicious tie Supervisor Benoit has with developer Stephen Holgate, who along with four of the five San Jacinto city council members, are facing charges including vote buying, bribery and campaign kickbacks.

In doing research I found that Inside Riverside has done some of the investigating for me, and has spelled out some of the suspicious ties.  The blog, whose author remains anonymous found a report in The Californian, reporting that:

John Benoit at first denied receiving a campaign contribution from one of the donors, Accurate Business Services, that was reimbursed by Steve Holgate for contributions to indicted San Jacinto City Councilman Jim Ayres when Ayres ran for the State Assembly.

According to The Californian:

“After initially saying he did not receive a contribution from a key figure in the San Jacinto campaign money-laundering case, Sen. John Benoit, R-Palm Desert, acknowledged Wednesday that a Temecula woman gave money to his 2008 state Senate campaign through her bookkeeping business.”

The blog explains how Holgate spent over $100,000 last year to help get John Benoit elected to the State Senate:

While state contribution limits prevent a single donor from giving more than $3600 to a candidate for the legislature, there are ways around the law.

One is the illegal way of laundering money to candidate through other donors as it appears Holgate did in 2006 for Jim Ayres’ Assembly race.  The alleged money laundering scheme between Jim Ayres and Steve Holgate is at the heart of District Attorney Rod Pacheco’s corruption case against them, three other San Jacinto City Councilmembers, a San Jacinto School Board Members, and three other local businessmen.

The other way is a legal way where a major donor can contribute money to another campaign committee separate and apart from the official campaign.  These are called Independent Expenditure Committees. The First Amendment prohibits the State from placing contribution or spending limits on these types of campaign committees.  However, these committees are prohibited from coordinating their activities with the candidates they are supporting.

Last year Steve Holgate bypassed state contribution limits and provided an additional $100,000 of support to John Benoit’s State Senate campaign by giving the money to a front group called “The Conservative Leaders of America.”

Conservative Leaders of America then paid the Sacramento-based Republican political consulting firm of Gilliard, Blanning,Wysocki and Associates $95,222 to campaign for John Benoit and against his opponent, Republican businessman Russ Bogh.

The Riverside DA’s office refuses to comment on whether Benoit has been investigated, or has been cleared.