January 17, 2008 02:30 AM UTC

Holy Crap! He WAS Somebody's Legislator

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• by: Colorado Pols

Regular readers of Colorado Pols know that we occasionally highlight the odd elected official in a segment we call “At Least They’re Not Your Legislator.”

But in this case, the misdeeds of former Republican Rep. Mark Deli Siljander aren’t humorous at all. As CNN reports:

A former congressman has been charged in connection with his work for an Islamic charity ?accused of funneling money to an Afghan warlord, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

The money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges against former Michigan Rep. Mark Deli Siljander are part of a 42-count indictment released by the U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas City, Missouri.

Siljander “vehemently denies the allegations in the indictment and will enter a not guilty plea,” said his attorney, James Hobbs.

Prosecutors allege Siljander’s co-defendants — the directors of an Islamic charity — hired him to get the organization off a list of agencies suspected of links to terrorism and paid him with stolen U.S. government funds.

The Treasury Department designated the Islamic American Relief Agency as a suspected fundraiser for terrorists in 2004, The Associated Press reported.

Siljander is also accused of lying to federal agents and prosecutors about his work for the group, which allegedly steered $260,000 to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar — an ally of the Taliban and al Qaeda.

The United States named Hekmatyar a “specially designated global terrorist” in 2003.

And Republicans didn’t think they could have a congressman involved in a scandal that was worse than Mark Foley.

(h/t to Danny the Red (hair))