ALBUQUERQUE (AP) -- A federal grand jury is investigating how a California firm that contributed heavily to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's political activities won a lucrative contract to help finance a $1.6 billion state transportation program.
Richardson, New Mexico's two-term governor, is President-elect Barack Obama's nominee to head the Commerce Department.
The grand jury proceedings follow an FBI probe in which investigators sought documents from the New Mexico Finance Authority and interviewed former and current authority officials about the 2004 contract with the firm, CDR Financial Products.
Evidence is now being investigated by the grand jury, a person familiar with the proceedings told The Associated Press. That person asked not to be named because the proceedings are secret.
(Copyright ©2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
