3 charged with collecting $3.5M for phony political groups

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors say three men face federal charges for running two fraudulent political action committees during the 2016 election and collecting $3.5 million from unwitting donors. The U.S. Justice Department says the defendants solicited donations to the Liberty Action Group PAC and Progressive Priorities PAC under the guise that the phony groups were affiliated with candidates for public office. All three face multiple charges including wire fraud and conspiracy.