He has denied any wrongdoing and has said that he has not been contacted by investigators.
"I have always made every effort to meet the highest ethical standards in all aspects of my congressional work," Lewis said in a statement. "I am confident that any review of my work will confirm this."
The relationships among powerful lawmakers such as Lewis, their aides and the lobbying firms and clients that seek their help can become complex -- as the case of Lewis' stepdaughter and the PAC illustrates.
Willis-Leon, who lives in Las Vegas, received the bulk of the payments for her work as a fundraiser, the PAC reported. She is also listed on its website as its director. The money was paid out between February 2005 and March 2006.
"I am proud to have worked for the PAC, and I am proud of what it is doing," Willis-Leon said in a brief interview. She disputed the amount of her compensation -- which was calculated from government records by the Center for Responsive Politics, a political watchdog group -- but did not say what the correct amount was.
Lewis has come under scrutiny in part because of his close ties to a lobbying firm, Copeland Lowery Jacquez Denton & White, in which former Rep. Bill Lowery is a partner. Another partner, Letitia White, is a former Lewis aide with ties to Small Biz Tech PAC and its founder.
The firm's activities are being examined by federal investigators partly because Copeland Lowery represented ADCS Inc., a defense contracting firm headed by Brent R. Wilkes, who has been identified as a co-conspirator in the bribery case against former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Rancho Santa Fe).
Other Copeland Lowery clients have included businesses, cities and institutions in Lewis' district that have received earmarks. Lewis has defended the earmarks he authorized as serving his constituents.
White, the Lowery partner, played a key role in handling earmarks while working for the congressman. She now lobbies for defense and other firms seeking government funds.
And White has close ties to the PAC's chairman, Karangelen. Together, they own a $1-million town house in Washington that has been listed as the business address of Small Biz Tech PAC; White's half-interest in the town house was first reported by a Harper's Magazine blog.
White's lobby shop represents Karangelen's company, Trident Systems.
