SoCal Dem. Campaign Treasurer Arrested

Los Angeles - A Burbank-based campaign treasurer who has worked for several prominent SoCal Democrats was facing a possible mail fraud charge today.

Kinde Durkee, head of Durkee and Associates, was arrested Saturday by FBI agents on suspicion of mail fraud, a charge that could underlie the illegal use of campaign funds. She has worked as campaign treasurer for Democrats U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Lorretta Sanchez and Assemblymen Lou Correa and Jose Solorio.

Durkee is expected to be appear in federal court on the allegation Tuesday, probably in Santa Ana.

Correa, whose district includes Santa Ana, told The Orange County Register that an FBI agent called him Friday night and told him Durkee had been arrested and that he was likely a victim, along with "many, many other victims."

Correa, who has worked with Durkee since 1995, said he believed he had lost has lost "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in political donations.

"This is clearly a sense of betrayal of someone I have trusted for a number of years," Correa told the newspaper. "This is a punch straight to the gut."

Attempts by The Register to reach Feinstein and Sanchez for comment Saturday were unsuccessful.

State records show she serves as the treasurer for at least 115 state-level committees, including campaign accounts for Solorio, D-Santa Ana; Assemblymen Gilbert Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, and Roger Hernandez, D-Baldwin Park; State Sens. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance and Curren Price, D-Los Angeles; Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian; and former Orange County lawmaker Tom Umberg.

Durkee also oversaw the committees of the Democratic Party of Orange County and the Democratic Foundation of Orange County, among others.

Durkee has been disciplined four times by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, primarily for failing to report transactions or information. She also received at least a half-dozen warning letters from the commission and stipulated to a violation before the San Diego Ethics Commission.