DOJ reaches plea deal with Dem donor who sought to bribe her way to Kennedy Center seat

Fox News

27-05-2025

A Los Angeles County woman, who served on a presidential advisory committee under the Biden administration and has an extensive history of donating to Democrats, reached a plea agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for making tens of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to reportedly secure a seat on the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, the DOJ announced Wednesday.
Teena Maria Hostovich, 66, was charged Wednesday with making contributions in the name of another aggregating to more than $10,000 in a year, which is a felony, the DOJ reported.
She revealed in her plea agreement that she carried out the scheme in part to secure a spot on the Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees, the DOJ stated in the press release. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts serves as the national cultural center of the U.S. and is located in Washington, D.C.
Hostovich is an insurance broker who used the identities of 11 other people, including co-workers and family members of co-workers, to illegally contribute more than $75,000 to political candidates between 2020 and 2023, the DOJ stated in a press release.
"According to her plea agreement, from May 2020 through 2023, Hostovich knowingly and willfully made a total of $75,700 in contributions to federal candidates' principal campaign committees and federal joint fundraising committees in the names of other people," the DOJ said in a press release. "For the calendar years 2021 through 2023, Hostovich's conduit contributions aggregated to more than $10,000 during each of those years."
Hostovich agreed in a court filing Wednesday to plead guilty to the federal criminal charge and pay a $43,500 fine.
Her scheme included contacting co-workers, their family members and other people "who performed personal services for Hostovich and her family" to ask them to make a donation to a political campaign or fundraising committee, according to the press release. She would then use PayPal to reimburse the individual for the contribution or pay them up front before the contribution was made, the Justice Department explained.
"To execute these conduit contributions, Hostovich sometimes explicitly stated that she would advance the money for the contribution or pay the person back for that contribution," the press release outlined. "Other times, the person had an implicit understanding that Hostovich would advance the money or reimburse them based on her history of advancements and reimbursements of political contributions. Hostovich generally advanced or reimbursed these individuals in amounts that exceeded the exact contribution amount but often the amounts were very close to the contribution amount."
Fox News Digital reviewed a website promoting a book Hostovich wrote in 2024 on climbing America's corporate ladder, which also touted Hostovich as a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, and that former President Joe Biden appointed her to serve on the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts.
"She is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative and the White House Historical Association. President Biden recently appointed her to the President's Advisory Committee for the Arts, and she is the Co-Chair of the Advisory Council to the Kennedy Center's President and Chairman," the bio states, which is accompanied by photos of Hostovich with high-profile Democrats such as Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton and Biden.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Clinton Foundation for comment but did not immediately receive a reply.
An archived official White House press release from 2023 under the Biden administration detailed Hostovich's position on the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts, including touting her "corporate governance responsibility, political activism, and philanthropic work."
"She has combined her lifelong passion for the arts, history, and education with her corporate governance responsibility, political activism, and philanthropic work," the bio states. "In addition to serving on the Board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for over a decade, she has been one of the Chairs (along with her husband and son) of Hollywood Bowl Opening Night many times (including 2023) honoring significant artists and showcasing the LA music community while raising money for Music Matters benefitting music/arts programs in public schools."
It is unclear how donations made in other people's names would bolster her reported efforts to secure a spot on the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees. The president appoints general trustees to the board, while other members are appointed by Congress.
A representative for Hostovich told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement Tuesday morning that "Teena Hostovich has agreed to plead guilty to one count of making contributions in the name of another, involving five donations of $2,900 each in 2021. In doing so, she is accepting responsibility for her conduct early and swiftly."
The statement continued that Hostovich's "mistakes are out of character," arguing that her "career, accomplishments, and numerous charitable deeds reflect a lifetime of hard work and generosity."
"Her generosity and commitment to her community led to her involvement in donating and fundraising for causes and candidates that she believed would champion fairness, equality, and improve society," the spokesperson continued. "She deeply regrets that her ardent support of some candidates led to lapses in judgment in a fraction of the donations she helped to raise and make. She is even more remorseful for the shadow that this investigation may cast on the candidates to whom the donations were made, as they had no knowledge of any wrongdoing."
"Throughout this process, Ms. Hostovich has cooperated fully and worked transparently with law enforcement authorities. She is committed to making the appropriate amends."
The DOJ did not identify in its press release which political party Hostovich favored, though Federal Election Commission (FEC) records reviewed by Fox News show Hostovich made hundreds of donations across the years to Democrat politicians, the Democratic Party and left-wing political action committees.
Hostovich has nearly 1,000 entries on the FEC's database regarding donations she made under her own name stretching back to 2008 through the 2024 election cycle.
The FEC data shows she donated to campaigns and groups such as the Obama Victory Fund, Democratic Party of Virginia, Pasadena, California, area United Democratic Headquarters and Chris Coons for Delaware during the 2008–2012 period.
More recent data from the 2024 election cycle shows she donated to groups such as the North Carolina Democratic Party – Federal, the Wyoming Democratic State Central Committee, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and the Democratic State Committee (Delaware). Searching for donations made to groups or campaigns containing the name "Republican" or "GOP" yielded zero results, Fox News Digital found.
The FBI carried out an investigation into Hostovich before she was charged and reached a plea agreement, the DOJ said. The DOJ told Fox Digital on Tuesday that Hostovich is scheduled to appear in court on June 13 in Los Angeles.