Franken cancels St. Paul fundraiser

by Mark Zdechlik, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — Democratic Sen. Al Franken has cancelled a fundraiser that had been planned for tomorrow at a home in St. Paul.

Self-described entrepreneur Mark Erjavec was set to host the Summit Ave. fundraiser. Donations to attend the fundraiser ranged from $100 to $2,400, and Franken was scheduled to be there.

Erjavec served prison time in the late 1990s, when he was convicted of swindling some northern Minnesota residents in what has been described as a ponzi scheme.

The Franken campaign cancelled the fundraiser as soon as it learned about the host's past. The campaign has not explained why it did not know about Erjavec's record earlier, or who set up the fundraiser.