Romney (Jim Cole/AP)Did someone create a company for the sole purpose of giving to a political action committee trying to boost Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign?
That's what it looks like. As The Ticket reported earlier this week, three firms gave $1 million apiece to Restore Our Future, a conservative "super PAC" planning to spend millions to help Romney's White House bid.
One of those companies was W. Spann LLC, a mysterious New York-based company that apparently closed up shop last month shortly after its contribution to the pro-Romney PAC. As NBC News's Michael Isikoff reports, the company was formed in March by Boston estate tax lawyer Cameron Casey and listed a midtown Manhattan address where the landlord says there's no record of the firm being a tenant.
The company gave $1 million to Restore Our Future on April 28, and according to records obtained by Isikoff, dissolved on July 12th, just two weeks before the pro-Romney PAC disclosed its donors to the Federal Election Commission. There's no indication in the records of what the company did or who its owners or principals were.
Casey did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Ticket.
As Isikoff notes, Rope & Gray, the law firm where Casey works, has previously done work for Bain Capital—where Romney used to work—but the company denies any involvement with W. Spann. The now-defunct LLC listed its address as 590 Madison, the same address where Bain's New York offices are based.
But W. Spann isn't the only mystery about big contributions to Restore Our Future. As The Ticket previously reported, two other $1 million donations came from two equally mysterious companies: Eli Publishing and F8 LLC. The two entities list the same Provo, Utah, address, according to FEC records, but there's no indication of what the companies do.
Still, there are hints at who the companies are affiliate with. Steven Lund, head of the anti-aging company Nu Skin, is listed as the registered agent for Eli Publishing, according to Utah corporate records. Lund has been a major financial supporter of Romney's previous campaigns.
Brittany Gross, a spokeswoman for Restore Our Future, offered no further information on W. Spann LLC or any of the committee's donors. "Restore Our Future has fully complied with all FEC regulations, including publicly disclosing donors on our July 31 report," she said in an email.