Tax forms: Frist's AIDS charity paid pals

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http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-frist18.html

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's AIDS charity paid nearly a half-million dollars in consulting fees to members of his political inner circle, according to tax returns providing the first financial accounting of the presidential hopeful's nonprofit.

The returns for World of Hope Inc. also show the charity raised the lion's share of its $4.4 million from just 18 sources. They gave between $97,950 and $267,735 each to help fund Frist's efforts to fight AIDS. The tax forms do not identify the 18 major donors by name. Frist's lawyer, Alex Vogel, said Friday he would not give their names because tax law does not require disclosure. Frist's office provided a list of 96 donors, but did not say how much each contributed. They included insurer Blue Cross/Blue Shield and drug maker Eli Lilly.

World of Hope gave $3 million it raised to AIDS causes. The rest went to overhead. That included $456,125 in consulting fees to two firms run by Frist's political fund-raiser, Linus Catignani. One is jointly run by Linda Bond, wife of Sen. Christopher Bond, (R-Mo.). The charity also hired the law firm of Vogel's wife, Jill Holtzman Vogel, and a Frist accountant, Deborah Kolarich.

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1. Hope Frist's shell game

is a provable crime.

It sure sounds illegal to me
and unethical as well.