SAN DIEGO -- District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and other San Diego politicians have been subpoenaed to testify in the illegal campaign finance trial of José Susumo Azano Matsura, his attorney told KPBS on Wednesday.
Also subpoenaed are ex-Mayor Bob Filner and Rep. Juan Vargas, both Democrats, the attorney said. Dumanis is a Republican.
Her spokesman said on Wednesday that Dumanis would not be commenting “on this pending criminal matter.”
San Diego developer and hotelier Douglas Manchester, who previously owned The San Diego Union-Tribune, also has been ordered to testify in the Azano case, as has the current publisher and editor of the newspaper, Jeff Light. Manchester is a well-known Republican who financially supports GOP politicians and initiatives, including Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Michael Wynne, a Houston attorney representing Azano, released the details of the latest people to be subpoenaed in the high-profile federal corruption case.
Azano is a Mexican billionaire accused of illegally funneling $600,000 of foreign money to political action committees that supported Dumanis and Filner when they made mayoral bids in 2012. Filner won but was forced to resign amid a sexual harassment scandal. Foreign nationals are barred from contributing to U.S. political campaigns.
Federal prosecutors say Azano got involved in the mayor’s race because he wanted support for what he called “Miami West,” a plan to build a yacht marina and five-star hotels on San Diego’s waterfront.
The news of Dumanis’ subpoena was first reported by freelance journalist Ed Peruta in a tweet Tuesday night.
