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Crist sees a fluster over two donations

TALLAHASSEE - A $500-a-plate fundraiser hosted by Donald Trump at the New York billionaire's West Palm Beach estate this month turned up a couple of potential contributors who have created some embarrassment for gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist's campaign.

One came from a former Ukrainian government official once charged with corruption in his home country who was in the United States illegally. Another came from a businessman being investigated on complaints of deceptive advertising by the attorney general's office headed by Crist.

A campaign spokeswoman told the Tampa Tribune that neither man, Volodomyr Shcherban of Ukraine or Cape Coral businessman Russell Whitney, made contributions at the fundraiser.

However, two of Whitney's companies previously had made $500 contributions, the maximum allowed. The newspaper was then told by the campaign that those contributions would be returned.

A donation was required for admission, Crist campaign spokeswoman Vivian Myrtetus said, but one donor could have brought a guest by giving both a personal contribution and from a company.

Reports of donations at the Trump fundraiser won't be available until April, but Myrtetus said the campaign didn't find any from Whitney or Shcherban.

Myrtetus said Crist does not know Shcherban, and that Crist had met Whitney at an earlier fundraiser.

Some 400 guests, at $500 a head, attended the Feb. 3 fundraiser for Crist at Trump's Mar-A-Lago estate.

Crist is opposed by Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher in the Republican primary for governor; while state Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua is competing with U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa in the Democratic primary.

[Last modified February 13, 2006, 00:44:05]