Jan. 21 (Bloomberg) -- A federal grand jury investigating whether New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s administration steered bond advisory work to a campaign contributor subpoenaed correspondence from the governor’s top political advisers and a JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker.

The Sept. 22 subpoena, obtained from the governor’s office under the state’s open records law, shows the grand jury’s interest in the roles that former Richardson chief of staff David Contarino, political adviser Michael Stratton, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker Chris Romer may have played in the hiring of CDR Financial Products Inc. The probe’s existence was earlier reported by Bloomberg News.

The subpoena shows that the grand jury investigation centers on Beverly Hills-based CDR, which donated $100,000 to Richardson’s political committees in 2003 and 2004. During 2004, it was awarded a contract worth almost $1.5 million to advise the New Mexico Financial Authority on bond deals.

Richardson, 61, was to become President Barack Obama’s commerce secretary until Jan. 4, when the governor withdrew, citing a pending investigation.

CDR was hired to provide guidance regarding interest-rate swaps and escrow funds for $1.6 billion of debt as part of Richardson’s transportation project, known as Governor Richardson’s Investment Partnership.

Campaign Donations

In October 2003, CDR President David Rubin gave $25,000 to Moving America Forward Inc., a political action committee formed by Richardson, disclosure forms show. Seven months later, CDR, known then as Chambers, Dunhill, Rubin & Co., gave $75,000 to ¡Si Se Puede! Boston 2004 Inc., formed to help pay expenses at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, where Richardson was chairman.

The subpoena sought correspondence between the governor’s office and those two committees regarding CDR, as well as similar communications with David Harris, who led the authority when CDR was hired. Authorities also requested correspondence with staff of the Democratic Governors Association, which Richardson chaired in 2005 and 2006.

The subpoena does not identify targets of the investigation, indicating only who may be witnesses. No one has been accused of wrongdoing. Rick Kornfeld, an attorney for Romer, said his client is cooperating with the probe, without elaborating how. Romer left JPMorgan in October.

“We are voluntarily cooperating with the government in the investigation,” he said.

Rubin has said CDR didn’t win its contract because of political donations and “never practiced pay for play on any playing field where we do business.”

Contarino, 47, who has previously declined wrongdoing, didn’t return requests for comment. Stratton, 54, a Denver political consultant, also didn’t return a request for comment. Paul Kennedy, a lawyer for Harris, declined to comment. Brian Marchiony, a spokesman for JPMorgan, didn’t return a call seeking comment.

To contact the reporters on this story: Martin Z. Braun in New York at mbraun6@bloomberg.net; William Selway in San Francisco at wselway@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 21, 2009 00:01 EST