Q: Whatever happened to Wen Ho Lee, who was accused of taking secret documents from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1999?
— William McKee Jr., Flowery Branch
A: Lee, a Taiwanese-born nuclear scientist working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, was fired and arrested in 1999 on 59 counts of violating the Atomic Energy Act and the Espionage Act. He spent nine months in solitary confinement before being released in 2000 when the charges were dropped. Lee pleaded guilty to one count of mishandling computer files. In 2006, he was paid $895,000 by the U.S. government and $750,000 by five media organizations to drop a civil lawsuit against them for leaking his name before he could be charged. Lee, who is 72, is retired and has published a memoir titled "My Country Versus Me: The First-Hand Account By the Los Alamos Scientist Who Was Falsely Accused of Being a Spy" and a physics textbook he started writing in prison.
Q: Are political campaign contributions tax deductible?
— Mary Edwards, Griffin
A: Individuals can't deduct contributions made to a political candidate or political groups, according to the IRS' Publication 526.
Business contributions to a campaign committee or a newsletter fund also are not tax deductible, the IRS states on its website. Advertisements in convention bulletins and admissions to dinners, balls, galas, parades, concerts or programs that benefit a political party or candidate are not deductible. Also, "You cannot deduct indirect political contributions and costs of taking part in political activities as business expenses," the IRS states.
Andy Johnston, for the AJC. Do you have a question about the news? Our news researchers will try to get an answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name and city). Sorry, individual responses are not possible.
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