Gary Husk

Current and former Fiesta Bowl employees have alleged that Husk was involved in a scheme in which employees were reimbursed with bowl funds for making political-campaign contributions, which is illegal. Husk, a former state and federal prosecutor, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He could not be reached Friday. His attorney, Rick Romley, said Husk was cooperating with prosecutors. The Arizona Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney's Office are working together on parallel criminal investigations that began after the bowl in March 2011 released findings from its own independent investigation. The bowl's probe found questionable actions by some board members, widespread misuse of bowl funds and a scheme to cover up and discredit a December 2009 Arizona Republic report in which current and former employees said they were reimbursed by the bowl for making campaign contributions. Employees alleged to bowl investigators that Husk was involved in the cover-up and the reimbursement scheme. Husk was a lobbyist for the Fiesta Bowl from March 2000 to January 2011, state lobbying records show. The Fiesta Bowl during that time paid at least $1.95 million to firms that either employed Husk or were owned by him, bowl records show.