Kanjorski Nephew Works at Firm that Gets Loan

The company that employs the nephew of U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski has received a $400 million guaranteed federal loan.

The same company, formerly called AVA Solar and now known as Abound Solar Manufacturing, received a $3 million federal grant in 2008.

The two federal awards and the Kanjorskis’ relationship have been called “coincidental” by the company. The Kanjorski campaign said the congressman played no role.

Lou Barletta, the Republican challenger to Kanjorski in the 11th Congressional District race, said, “I guess the Kanjorskis are just lucky.”

Russell Kanjorski – the congressman’s nephew — is vice president for marketing at Abound Solar, which is based in Loveland, Colo.

During his weekly address to the nation over the Fourth of July weekend, President Barack Obama announced that the Department of Energy was awarding $2 billion in loan guarantees to two energy companies — Abengoa Solar and Abound Solar Manufacturing. The purpose of the loans is to increase solar panel production that is expected to create more than 1,200 jobs.

Russell Kanjorski was one of the principals in Cornerstone Technologies LLC, which received $9 million in federal grants before it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2003.

A story in The Times Leader reported, “Cornerstone reported $14,100 in assets compared with $1.34 million in debt” in its bankruptcy filing. The $9 million in federal grants to Cornerstone were earmarked by Congressman Kanjorski, chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises.

Read more: (Bill O’Boyle, “Kanjo Nephew Works at Firm that Gets Loan,” Times Leader, 07/13/10)