SAN DIEGO (AP) — An attorney for a disgruntled aide to former California congressional candidate Carl DeMaio has recommended his client be sentenced to three years’ probation for lying to federal investigators about a threatening email he wrote but said might have come from DeMaio, part of an effort to sabotage the campaign last year.
Todd Bosnich, 30, rocked one of the nation’s most closely watched congressional races by claiming DeMaio sexually harassed him and that he was offered $50,000 to keep quiet, while DeMaio said he suspected Bosnich of a campaign office burglary. DeMaio, an openly gay Republican, lost his bid to unseat Democrat Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) by 3.2 percentage points in a campaign that was dominated by the back-and-forth accusations during its final month.
Prosecutors have recommended five years’ probation for obstruction of justice. Bosnich pleaded guilty in June.
Frank Vecchione, Bosnich’s attorney, said his client wrote the bogus email to bolster his sexual harassment claims. He called the email “an inexplicable, uncharacteristic episode.”
“His dream of working in politics and government has essentially ended,” Vecchione wrote the judge. “He has caused great humiliation to himself and his family; his reputation in the community has been greatly impacted.”
Bosnich, DeMaio’s policy director, was fired six months before the election for reasons that remain unclear. Bosnich says he was let go after complaining about sexual harassment to DeMaio and other staff. DeMaio contends he was fired for poor performance.
DeMaio, 41, is a former San Diego city councilman and mayoral candidate who now hosts a radio show and is leading a campaign for statewide ballot initiative to curb public pensions.
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