Lawsuit: Pal Tried To Steer Cash To Coleman First

By Glenn Thrush

(The Politico)  We just received a PDF of the second lawsuit filed against Norm Coleman pal Nasser Kazeminy, who allegedly steered $75,000 to a Minnesota insurance company that employs Coleman wife.

Much of the new material echoes allegations made by its former CEO Paul McKim in a previous lawsuit filed in Texas.

Still, there are a couple of new nuggets in the Nov. 3 complaint in Delaware by investors in Kazeminy-controlled Deep Marine Technology.

The Texas lawsuit quotes Kazeminy saying he needed to get cash to Coleman because "U.S. Senators don't make [expletive]."

But the second lawsuit alleges -- and it's breathtakingly stupid if true -- that Kazeminy at first ordered DMT execs to pay Coleman directly. 

"Our clients were advised that Mr. Kazeminy first sought to have DMT make quarterly cash payments of $25,000 to Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota," writes plaintiff's attorney Anthony Paduano, citing a "confidential" informant.

Another new allegation is that the payments made to Laurie Coleman's firm, the Hays Company, weren't needed because DMT, which services offshore oil platforms and port facilities, already used Aon for its insurance.

"This was a cheap, sleazy, false story before the election and it's a cheap, sleazy, false story now," said Coleman spokesman Mark Drake.

The Coleman campaign has accused Franken of pushing the suits. Coleman leads Franken by about 200 votes with a nail-biter recount looming.