Mexican Tycoon Played Super PACs

Mexican businessman Jose Azano Matsura is being accused by federal prosecutors of funneling over $500,000 dollars into U.S. political races, exploiting Super PACs legitimized by the Citizens United ruling. While President Obama's prediction in his 2010 State of the Union address that foreigners would use the ruling to influence elections caused conservative Justice Samuel Alito to famously shake his head and say "not true," it appears that while the ruling did not change the legality, it may have enabled these schemes. Whereas before, foreigners needed complex schemes to influence elections financially, In Azano's case, the money allegedly only went through a U.S.-based shell company and right into the Super PAC. The shell company was the only donor the Super PAC was required to disclose, not Azano. The scandal has so far affected multiple local San Diego politicians as well as Congressman Juan Vargas.