FBI collecting documents from Johnson's consultant

Federal authorities this week requested financial documents from a Tampa advertising firm hired by former Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson to help educate voters during last year's election.

FBI officials went to Schifino Lee Advertising + Branding on Monday to request copies of invoices and other records related to work performed by the firm, sources familiar with the situation said.

Schifino Lee was hired by Johnson's office to spearhead community outreach and voter education.

Documents show the firm billed the supervisor's office for more than $618,000 in work, including print and radio advertisements, direct mail advertisements and online Web site and electronic mail notices.

Johnson did not return a call for comment today.

Ben Lee, principal of the advertising firm, said his company was hired through a public request for proposal, or RFP, process.

"Everything we created was approved and authorized by the Office of Supervisor of Elections," Lee said. "We are pleased to provide copies of all projects, deliverables and invoices."

The FBI launched its investigation two months ago into financial dealings by Johnson while he was in office. Johnson was defeated in November by Phyllis Busansky. He left office in January with a budget deficit in the millions.

In February, FBI agents visited the accounting firm Ernst & Young and subpoenaed documents related to an audit of Johnson's office that the company released Feb. 3. The audit was highly critical of Johnson's fiscal management of the office and concluded he violated state law by overspending his budget by nearly $1 million.

In March, the Florida Department of State requested another audit to look specifically at about $3.2 million in federal Help America Vote Act dollars that Johnson's office had received since 2006.

The bulk of the money was supposed to be spent on voting machines, with the remaining portion going to voter education and poll worker training. Federal money cannot be used to campaign for office.

Johnson spent about $944,000 in federal money, plus $1 million in county cash, on an expansive voter education campaign last year, according to county records. The money paid for everything from radio and TV advertisements to hiring consultants.

Johnson's office hired several other consultants, outside of Schifino Lee, to specifically target black and Hispanic voters.

One of those, Michelle B. Patty, who owns a legal and medical referral service, received more than $16,000 in October to target black voters. She was accused last month of paying $100 to at least one woman to stand outside a polling precinct on Election Day to stump for Johnson.

Patty denied the allegation, but refused to comment further.