Teena Maria Hostovich, a 66-year-old insurance brokerage executive from La Cañada Flintridge, California, is set to plead guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged her with making illegal contributions to a joint fundraising committee, totaling over $10,000 in a year.
According to the DOJ, Hostovich admitted to making contributions in the names of others from May 2020 to 2023. In total, she contributed $75,700 to various campaign committees, including those of federal candidates. Each year from 2021 to 2023, her contributions exceeded the legal limit of $10,000.
The investigation revealed that Hostovich used 11 different people to funnel these contributions. These included employees from her brokerage, their family members, and individuals who provided personal services to her and her family. She would ask these individuals to donate to specific candidates and then reimburse them through PayPal, either before or after the contributions were made.
Hostovich’s actions were not just for political support; she was reportedly seeking a position on the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees in Washington, D.C., which she ultimately did not secure. The recipients of her contributions included a joint fundraising committee linked to a U.S. senator, as well as campaign committees for several House representatives and a presidential candidate.
The DOJ stated that Hostovich did not disclose to any of the committees that she was the actual source of the funds contributed by these individuals. The case has been investigated by the FBI, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas F. Rybarczyk is handling the prosecution.
Hostovich is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks, where she will formally enter her guilty plea and face a fine of $43,500.