The feds busted a close pal of Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm Friday for illegally routing cash to his campaign, according to a Brooklyn federal court complaint.
Diana Durand, 47, was arrested in Houston and faces election fraud raps for using straw donors to exceed campaign contribution limits to Grimm’s 2010 campaign, the court papers state.
She circumvented her $4,800 contribution limit by asking four pals to plop down campaign cash with the promise to reimburse them, the feds allege.
Durand is also charged with lying to federal agents about the shady dealings after being confronted in 2012.
The feds have zeroed in on Grimm’s 2010 fundraising tactics but have not directly accused him of wrongdoing.
Another Grimm fundraiser, Israeli national Ofer Biton, has already pleaded guilty to visa fraud raps stemming from the probe.
Referred to as a “personal friend of Candidate A,” Durand organized meet and greet events with Grimm in 2009 to amass campaign cash, court papers state.
Several sources said that “Candidate A” refers to Grimm.
One of Durand’s straw donors provided agents with a copy of an e-mail she sent after the donation was made, according to the complaint.
“I just wanted to thank you both again for helping me out with (Candidate A’S) campaign last week,” Durand wrote in the April 2010, message. “I can’t tell you how priceless it is to have friends that I can count on to do something like that, simply PRICELESS.”
Additional reporting by Rich Calder