Tom Fuentes: Secret Agent Man?

[Moxley Confidential] Once-classified FBI files reveal the ex-Orange County GOP boss snitched for the feds and sought foreign lobbying deals

Comments (0) By R. SCOTT MOXLEY Thursday, Dec 20 2012

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After mentioning an unnamed "successful" Japanese businessman, the FBI entry continued: "Fuentes had contacts with retired congressmen and cabinet members in the United States. [REDACTED] had similar contact in Europe. So [REDACTED] brought Fuentes and [REDACTED] to Tokyo for the purpose of discussing with them the possibility of having some public personalities serve on the board of the new foundation. . . . The board members were planned to be paid $10,000 to $25,000 a year. The foundation may have been called EarthAid Foundation."

The FBI files indicate that Fuentes worked in 1990 for the agency as a likely unpaid mole against a Buddhist religious official—his identity was redacted—in Fuji City, Japan. After a visit to the man's estate, Fuentes met with an agent and described what he saw.

Jack Gould

Moshi moshi! Fuentes (left) and Ed Royce at a 1998 party

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"The compound was comprised of 80 acres of land," he reported, according to agency notes that included several, wholly redacted pages. "[REDACTED] compound had many signs of wealth. Some of the artwork in [REDACTED] compound was done in gold. . . . The compound was divided into different areas. Each area was established for a certain purpose. For example, there was a water course running through part of the compound. The water was supposed to have some kind of curative powers. . . . In one area of the compound, there was a hall of Buddha."

Though seemingly meaningless, the brief, international, cloak-and-dagger episode must have delighted Fuentes. He was, after all, more than a charming party emcee, hardball influence peddler, sly bagman on the prowl for his cut on government deals and relentless dogma barker. He actually once worked as a spy.

This column appeared in print as "The Man With the Golden Tongue: Once-classified FBI files reveal ex-Orange County GOP boss Tom Fuentes snitched for the feds and sought foreign lobbying deals."