Newly declassified FBI records show agents opened a public-corruption investigation into Eric Swalwell over Fang Fang, the case that tied campaign donations to allegations about congressional internships. The files say the matter was handled as a Sensitive Investigative Matter because he was a sitting member of Congress.
The records say Swalwell’s campaign received $1,145,688 in individual contributions between January 2013 and December 2014. They also show investigators tracking money, intermediaries and a scheme in which Christine Fang was alleged to help place interns in his office in exchange for campaign contributions.
FBI records on Freshman Fifteen
The investigation was codenamed Freshman Fifteen. FBI files say a June 2014 memorandum listed possible bribery of public officials, conspiracy, excessive campaign contributions, prohibited foreign-national contributions and contributions through conduits.
Before the investigation opened, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California was notified. An Assistant U.S. Attorney agreed to prosecute if agents developed sufficient evidence, showing the case was already being built with a charging plan in mind.
Surveillance in California
On June 16, 2014, two FBI agents conducted more than three hours of surveillance at a California shopping center. The same files say agents used physical surveillance, confidential sources, search warrants and an undercover operation while examining Fang and Swalwell for possible campaign-finance violations.
The records also describe a 2014 event at Wynn Casino in Las Vegas that drew scrutiny because it involved Fang, Swalwell, collected donation checks and reimbursement concerns. One wealthy winery owner told agents Fang said to “just bring his checkbook” because she would reimburse his donation.
March 2015 findings
In March 2015, FBI agents wrote that several contributions had been routed through intermediaries. In at least two cases, they said, Fang used conduits to conceal herself as the prohibited foreign-national source of the money.
The files say investigators suspected Fang had ties to the Ministry of State Security. They also say a Chinese national volunteered in the campaign and that a fast-food franchise magnate told agents Fang wanted his contribution credited to her.
The records go beyond the now-documented relationship between Fang and Swalwell and focus on the evidence agents assembled around money, intermediaries and intern placements. The remaining question is whether the evidence they gathered was strong enough to support charges for campaign-finance violations and foreign-source donations.
