Harry Sargeant III had a $10 million problem.

With his company mired in a costly three-year contract dispute with the Pentagon, the Boca Raton businessman and Republican fundraiser dispatched a well-known lobbyist to a senator's office to plead his case. Then Sargeant dispatched his lawyers to sue the federal government -- and eventually clinched a $3.2 million settlement.

The episode offers a telling glimpse into the power wielded by a political and business heavyweight who does his heaviest lifting behind the scenes.

Harry Sargeant may be the most influential South Florida figure no one outside the corridors of power has ever heard of.

He owns a waterfront mansion in Delray Beach, shares his corporate jet with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- his college buddy -- and maintains business interests ranging from an international asphalt company to $1 billion in Pentagon contracts to ship fuel to the military in Iraq.

DONATES MONEY

And he donates money, lots of it -- among himself, family and companies almost $2 million to committees and candidates from Florida to California, The Miami Herald found, most given in the past two years and most, but not all, to GOP causes.

John McCain tapped Sargeant as co-finance chairman in Florida, and in March, Sargeant hosted a fundraiser for McCain at his $8 million Intracoastal Waterway home.

Sargeant, 50, declined interview requests. His attorney agreed to answer limited questions regarding his defense contracts.

Yet from interviews and records, a profile emerges of a corporate alpha male, a former Marine pilot who pulls blue marlin from the Gulf Stream, who takes Scotch over beer and who doesn't shrink from a fight, whether it's with the Pentagon, foreign governments or Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

''I'd call Harry Sargeant a man's man,'' said Jim Greer, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party, who named Sargeant the party's finance chairman. ``He's not somebody who has to be in the limelight.''

But recently, the limelight found Sargeant.

Last month, McCain's campaign returned some $50,000 in donations after The Washington Post and New York Times questioned the validity of several checks sent from Arab Americans in California -- donations solicited by Sargeant's longtime business partner, Mustafa Abu Naba'a, a Jordanian citizen. The campaign warned Sargeant donors that they can't be repaid for contributions and that only U.S. citizens can donate.

In Washington, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., head of a congressional oversight committee, has launched an inquiry of possible overcharging involving a Sargeant company in Jordan.

''We have nothing to hide,'' Sargeant wrote in a letter to The Washington Post on Aug. 12, saying he is cooperating with the committee and that his fundraising is unrelated to the Pentagon contracts.

As a fundraiser, Sargeant has thrived by any measure. He has collected more than $500,000 in donations for McCain by tapping a network of relatives, friends, employees and business associates. Donors can give no more than $2,300 to a candidate for each primary or general-election race, forcing candidates to rely on ''bundlers'' like Sargeant to gather as many donations as possible.

BEYOND TOP RACE

Sargeant's fundraising extends beyond the presidential race, including $38,000 to Democratic Congressman Robert Wexler, and $36,000 to Miami GOP Congressmen Mario and Lincoln Diaz-Balart from Sargeant and his relatives.

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@