FBI probes congressman's Serbian dealings

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- The FBI and a grand jury are investigating business dealings in Serbia and Russia involving Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., the Washington Post reports.

The Serbian investigation was part of FBI raids on six locations in Pennsylvania and Florida on Monday, involving a public relations contract Weldon's daughter Karen has with a blacklisted Belgrade businessman, Bogoljub Karic.

Karic was barred from visiting, or trading with the United States because of his connections with former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic, and he enlisted Karen Weldon's help in PR efforts to have the ban lifted.

Meanwhile, the FBI was also investigating Weldon and his daughter's contacts with the Russian-managed oil and gas company, Itera International Energy Corp., whose Jacksonville, Fla., offices were searched.

The congressman's attorney, William Winning, refused to comment apart from telling the Post on Tuesday that Weldon "did nothing wrong, nor did his daughter do anything wrong."