COLUMBUS, OH — The same crooked businessman behind the algae bloom in the Lincoln memorial Reflecting Pool is also a fan and donor of Vivek Ramaswamy’s. 

 J.J. Cafaro, Trump’s longtime Florida neighbor and political benefactor, received a $1.7 million no-bid contract for this aptly named Greenwater Services to purify the pool’s water. The pool is currently infested with an algae bloom. The Cafaro family made its fortune building malls and shopping plazas. J.J. Cafaro is notorious for his role in Ohio political corruption scandals. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe Mahoning Valley Congressman Jim Traficant in 2002. Cafaro illegally loaned $10,000 to the campaign manager for his daughter’s unsuccessful congressional run in 2004. Six years later, he pleaded guilty to lying to the government about it.

Yet Ramaswamy is eager to take Cafaro’s money and support. Cafaro co-hosted the Trump County Lincoln Party Dinner where Ramaswamy headlined in April. He also gave $7,500 to Ramaswamy’s campaign for governor. 

Cafaro one of several convicted white-collar criminals among major Ramaswamy donors: 

• Developer James Kassouf pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return in 1989. Trump pardoned him in 2020. He donated nearly $20,000 to Ramaswamy.  

• Lewis Stahl, who owned a medical technology company spent 30 months in federal prison for tax evasion. Stahl evaded federal income taxes on more than $21 million in business income – costing the public $6.3 million. He gave Ramaswamy nearly $21,000. 

• Insurance and private equity executive Mark Hauser spent two months in prison for spending $40,000 for his daughter to cheat on her ACT college entrance exam. Hauser has given Ramaswamy $10,000. 

“They say you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep, and the company Vivek keeps is pure sleaze,” said Innovation Ohio President Michael McGovern. “His campaign finance report is like a hall of fame in white collar crime and political corruption. Vivek is beholden to wealthy tax cheats and scammers who think the rules don’t apply to them. His agenda is based on grift and greed – not on what will allow Ohioans to make a good living and support our families.”