Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/144898
Sarasota News Leader July 19, 2013 Page 25 chanan's 2006 and 2008 congressional campaigns, a violation of campaign finance rules. The Federal Election Commission filed suit against Kazran for the scheme in late 2010. Kazran has claimed he didn't know the reimbursements were illegal, but he settled with the FEC last year, agreeing to pay $5,000. The Buchanan team has called Kazran's charges "ludicrous." In a deposition taken by Buchanan's lawyers last June, Kazran said Buchanan pressured him in October 2008 to sign an affidavit clearing Buchanan of any campaign finance wrongdoings as part of an agreement to settle their business dispute. That echoed claims Kazran made to the FEC in 2009. "[Buchanan attorney John Tosch] told me, 'Sam, you got five minutes to sign the affidavit, or the deal is off,'" Kazran said, according to a transcript of the deposition. U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan. Photo from the U.S. Government via Wikimedia Commons sota News Leader the long delay before the three-week trial starts is an effort to push the case to conclusion. He says an earlier date could have been set, but the case would have been bumped if there were any additional delays. Kon says the July time frame is solid: "No, sir," Tosch answered, according to the "The judge is pretty adamant that that is going deposition transcript. "Sam said that under to be the date." oath, and he's lying. He perjured himself. It never happened. That meeting never hap- Buchanan avoided being deposed last summer because, his team told the Herald-Tribune, pened." his attorney, Mark Ornstein, became "seriousAs that back-and-forth illustrates, the case is ly ill." Nonetheless, Kon thinks Buchanan will a thick stew of allegations and counter-alle- be deposed this fall. gations, with countless motions and appeals. But thanks to an order filed last month, some Motions in the case continue to fly, even as certainty is now in sight: A jury trial has been of this writing, but Kon says the months leading up to the trial should be relatively calm: scheduled for July 2014. "There's not going to be much fireworks." Josh Kon, an attorney with Stok Folk + Kon, which is representing Kazran, tells The Sara- Somehow, that seems doubtful. % "Did you ever tell Sam that if he did not sign the affidavit in five minutes, the deal was off?" Kazran attorney Robert Stok asked Tosch during a deposition of Tosch recorded this January.