Watchdog alleges McAuliffe, campaign received $350k in foreign money in violation of federal law

A government watchdog group has filed a complaint alleging Democrat Terry McAuliffe and his 2021 campaign for Virginia governor violated federal law in accepting $350,000 in "illegal foreign contributions." 

The complaint was filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission on behalf of the right-leaning nonprofit National Legal and Policy Center and asks the agency to investigate a possible violation.

Attorney for the group Paul Kamenar argues in the filing: "While Virginia law has no limits on the amount an individual or corporation can give a candidate for state office, federal law prohibits donations from foreign nationals to campaigns at the federal, state and local level."  

The money came in July from LycaTel LLC, owned by Sri Lankan-British national Allirajah Subaskaran, according to the Washington Free Beacon. 

McAuliffe is in a tight race with Republican Glenn Youghkin for the Virginia governorship, with voters going to the polls Tuesday. 

Subaskaran, through his WWW Holding Company and other entities, owns companies worldwide in the technology, media and gaming sectors, many of them with the word "Lyca" in the names. In 2011, the Federal Communications Commission fined  LycaTel $5 million for "deceptively marketing prepaid calling cards" to largely immigrant buyers, the newspaper also reports.