Straw donor
Definition
A person who makes a political contribution in their own name using money secretly provided or reimbursed by someone else, concealing the true source. It's a federal crime because it lets a donor who has already hit contribution limits, or who is barred from giving, like a foreign national or a government contractor, give anyway through a proxy.
Why it matters
Contribution limits and source bans only work if the named donor is the real donor. Straw donor schemes defeat both purposes at once, letting maxed-out or prohibited donors buy access and influence while the public record shows an innocent name.
Seen in the wild
William Danielczyk and Eugene Biagi pleaded guilty to reimbursing $186,600 in straw contributions to Hillary Clinton's Senate and presidential campaigns.1 In 2019, three individuals were charged after a $150,000 contribution from a shell entity, "Society of Young Women Scientists and Engineers LLC," to a super PAC supporting Senator Susan Collins was traced to a government contractor evading the contractor contribution ban.2