FBI investigating Senate President John Alario, sources say

Federal officials have launched a criminal investigation into how Louisiana Senate President John Alario spent tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions, according to two people with knowledge of the probe.

The FBI began the investigation after NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News last year reported discrepancies in Alario's campaign records, said the two sources, who asked not to be named.

It's unclear whether agents have found any wrongdoing involving Alario, a Republican from Westwego who is one of Louisiana's longest-tenured and most powerful politicians. The sources said the probe remains active.

The full scope of the investigation is not publicly known. The sources said it includes the news organizations' findings that Alario reported expenses for LSU sports tickets and for a fundraiser at New Orleans' Audubon Golf Course that were a combined $22,000 more than payments recorded by those two entities.

Sample expense discrepancies from 2011:



Read more: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/04/fbi_john_alario_louisiana_purc.html