Watchdogs want probe of $1 million mystery donation to pro-Romney PAC

Campaign watchdog groups are calling for an investigation into a now-defunct company that gave $1 million to a political action committee aimed at boosting Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

As The Ticket reported yesterday, Restore Our Future, a "super PAC" formed by former Romney aides, reported a $1 million contribution from W. Spann LLC, a mysterious New York-based company that was incorporated just before weeks before its donation. Last month, the company suddenly closed up shop--with records never giving any indication of who the entity's owners or employees were or what its business purpose was.

Yesterday, Public Campaign Action Fund sent a letter to Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden urging him to investigate the company, which formally incorporated in the state in March. The group warned that big donors could be exploiting the state's relatively loose corporate disclosure laws to hide their identities.

"If Attorney General Biden doesn't act soon, Delaware is likely to turn into the Cayman Islands of political fundraising," David Donnelly, the group's national campaigns director, said in a statement. "This is just another avenue for wealthy donors and maybe even foreign interests to influence who wins and loses American elections."

Meanwhile, two other watchdog groups--Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center--are also pushing for a probe into the mysterious company. The groups will send letters to the Federal Election Commission and the Justice Department calling for a federal probe later today.

Cameron Casey, a Boston estate tax attorney who incorporated W. Spann LLC, has not responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, Restore Our