The Florida Phoenix reports:
A campaign finance watchdog group has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that unknown persons used an “obscure entity” to funnel half-a-million dollars to a super PAC supporting the presidential campaign of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
PassionForest, LLC was described in the complaint as “an obscure, eleven-month-old company whose only known activity involved selling artificial flowers online.” The GOP Miami mayor is not named in the complaint.
In their complaint, the Campaign Legal Center alleges that PassionForest was not the true source of the $500,000 contribution, but was instead used as a “straw donor” by unknown people to send that half-a-million dollars to SOS America “while concealing their identities as the true contributors.”
The Miami Herald reports:
Incorporated in Delaware in November 2021, PassionForest has no online presence other than an Amazon storefront listing a Chinese business address, which operated for only 11 months before making its one major political contribution, according to the complaint.
While FEC records show the company’s political contribution was associated with a Brickell address, the complaint pointed to evidence that PassionForest is actually based in China, rendering it a “foreign national” and prohibited donor under federal law.
A 2021 trademark application shows the the company is owned by Rao Juhui, whose business address is Guangzhou, China, and the associated Amazon account also lists a Chinese business address.
A $500,000 contribution to help GOP presidential candidate Francis Suarez draws FEC complaint https://t.co/4ftDcTWweN via @FLPhoenixNews pic.twitter.com/UETKn7avex
— The Florida Phoenix (@FLPhoenixNews) July 25, 2023
🧵China sent a $500,000 bribe to Miami’s Republican Mayor Francis Suarez using a newly formed shell company PassionForest which sells artificial flowers on Amazon from China. 3 total products, a handful of fake reviews and essentially no inventory.https://t.co/w7FNN9U8St
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) July 26, 2023