WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential contender Ben Carson has maintained a business relationship with a close friend convicted of defrauding insurance companies and testified on his behalf, even as the candidate has called for such crimes to be punished harshly. 
 
 This Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015 photo shows the office building, owned by BenCan LLC, and INBS LLC, in Mount Lebanon, Pa. Republican presidential contender Ben Carson has maintained a business relationship... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken Dec. 1, 2005, Dr. Ben Carson, center, flanked by Dr. Al Costa, right, and then Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Jerome Bettis pose at the The Pittsburgh Carson Scholars Fund 2nd Annual... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pittsburgh dentist Alfonso A. Costa pleaded guilty to a felony count of health care fraud after an FBI probe into his oral surgery practice found he had charged for procedures he never performed, according to court records. 
 
 Though the crime carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, Costa was able to avoid prison time after Carson helped petition a federal judge for leniency. 
 
 That's different from the position Carson took in 2013 as he prepared to launch his presidential campaign, saying those convicted of health care fraud should go to prison for at least a decade and be forced to forfeit "all of one's personal possessions." 
 
 At Costa's 2008 sentencing hearing, Carson described the dentist as "one my closest, if not my very closest friend." 
 
 "We became friends about a decade ago because we discovered that we were so much alike and shared the same values and principles that govern our lives," Carson told the judge, adding that their families vacationed together and that they were involved in "joint projects." 
 
 "Next to my wife of 32 years, there is no one on this planet that I trust more than Al Costa," Carson said. 
 
 Costa has served on the board of Carson's charity, the Carson Scholars Fund, and continues to lead the charity's fundraising efforts in the Pittsburgh area to provide $1,000 college scholarships to children in need. 
 
 Before his criminal conviction and the revocation of his license to practice dentistry, Costa built a multimillion-dollar fortune through commercial real estate. Investments Carson and his wife made through Costa earn the couple between $200,000 and $2 million a year, according to financial records that Carson was required to file when he declared his candidacy. 
 
 Costa also continues to promote his involvement with Carson's charity as part of his real estate business, prominently featuring the logo of the Carson Scholars Fund on the company's website. His son has worked with Carson's presidential campaign and a political committee founded by the retired neurosurgeon. 
 
 Doug Watts, the campaign's spokesman, said Wednesday he was unable to immediately respond to specific questions about land deals involving Carson and Costa. The AP contacted Watts on Tuesday and again Wednesday. 
 
 "I will confirm they are best friends and that they do hold business investments together," Watts said. 
 
 Costa did not respond to messages seeking comment. 
 
 The breadth of the two men's business ties has not been previously reported, partly because details can be obscured in property and incorporation records. Costa's company and its affiliates own properties in at least five states and overseas. 
 
 In 2007, a few months before Costa was charged, records show that a pair of corporations was established in Pennsylvania called BenCan LLC, and INBS LLC. Carson and his wife are listed as the sole members of the companies. Though the Carsons live outside Baltimore, the mailing address on the incorporation forms was Costa's home address in Pittsburgh. 
 
 BenCan and INBS then paid more than $3 million to purchase an office building in suburban Pittsburgh. The mailing address for the corporations listed on the deed matches the office of Costa's real estate firm, Costa Land Co. 
 
 That September, federal prosecutors charged Costa, accusing him of fraud committed over a nearly five-year period, according to court records. Investigators determined that Costa's dental practice charged more than 50 patients for procedures that had not been performed, resulting in a loss of more than $40,000 to insurance companies. 
 
 After Costa pleaded guilty, 40 of his family members, friends and dental patients wrote letters to the judge as character witnesses. Carson was one of three people who also testified at Costa's 2008 sentencing hearing, stressing his friend's charitable works and vouching for his personal integrity. Also testifying on Costa's behalf was Jerome Bettis, a beloved former Pittsburgh Stealers running back who had helped bring home a Super Bowl trophy to the city two years earlier. 
 
 The government urged the judge to make an example of Costa. 
 
 "Reduction of a sentence based on good works by a wealthy person can create the appearance that a defendant's financial resources and prominent connections can skew the justice system in ways not available to persons of lesser means," a prosecutor told the judge. 
 
 In the end, Costa got no prison time. He was sentenced to one year of house arrest and 100 hours of community service, and ordered to pay more than $294,000 in fines and restitution. Costa later got 12 months shaved off his three-year probation. 
 
 Though Costa was assigned to serve his sentence in his 8,300-square-foot mansion in nearby Fox Chapel, his lawyers repeatedly returned to court to seek permission for him to travel. A few months after starting his sentence, Costa asked to travel to the White House as one of 10 invited guests at a June 2008 ceremony where President George W. Bush presented Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 
 
 The judge denied that request, though Costa was later allowed to take a month-long trip to the Italian coast while on probation to handle what his lawyer described as urgent business at a resort he owns. 
 
 Carson's appeal for leniency toward Costa contradicts the draconian criminal penalties he called for in his 2013 political treatise, "America the Beautiful." In his book, Carson wrote that anyone found guilty of health care fraud should face what he called the "Saudi Arabian Solution." 
 
 "Why don't people steal very often in Saudi Arabia?" Carson asked. "Obviously because the punishment is the amputation of one or more fingers. I would not advocate chopping off people's limbs, but there would be some very stiff penalties for this kind of fraud, such as loss of one's medical license for life, no less than 10 years in prison, and loss of all of one's personal possessions." 
 
 Despite the tough-on-crime message, Carson and his wife kept their investment with Costa in the years since his conviction. Tax bills for the Pittsburgh office building owned by the couple are mailed to Costa Land Co. A recent lease for a portion of the property was signed on the Carsons' behalf by the president of Costa's company. 
 
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 Associated Press researcher Monika Mathur in Washington contributed to this report. 
 
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 Follow Biesecker at http://Twitter.com/mbieseck ||||| Ben Carson (C) speaks to reporters in the spin room following his participation in the Republican presidential candidates debate at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, 06 August 2015. The debate is the first of several debates that will be held. (EPA/TANNEN MAURY) 
 
 Editor's Note: This piece originally ran Sept. 2. It is being re-posted in light of news that the subject of this Q&A, Carson campaign manager Barry Bennett, has stepped down, along with communications director Doug Watts (h/t Jose DelReal). Bennett told The Post's Robert Costa on Thursday that more resignations are on the way. 
 
 Bennett to WashPost: "Lots of other people are resigning." — Robert Costa (@costareports) December 31, 2015 
 
 [Ben Carson on the brink: ‘A process like this is pretty brutal’] 
 
 For all the attention paid to Donald Trump in the Republican presidential race, the candidate with the most momentum at the moment is Ben Carson. Carson, a world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, is making major gains in Iowa -- with two new polls showing him tied with or running a close second to Trump. I reached out to Barry Bennett, Carson's campaign manager, for more insight into the candidate's appeal in Iowa, and more broadly. Our conversation, conducted via e-mail, is below -- edited only for grammar and clarity. 
 
 FIX: Explain Ben Carson’s appeal. Is it his resume? His lack of political background? Something else? Why do people — especially in Iowa — respond to him? 
 
 Bennett: We think his appeal is multi-layered. You start with a doctor with a pediatric specialty. That makes him caring. Add that he is a renowned brain scientist with 67 doctorates. That makes him caring and smart. Now add his life story which makes him caring, smart and inspirational. Package that in likability and you have his appeal. He doesn’t look, sound or speak like a politician. His common-sense, level-headed approach is what many are thirsty for in an era of screaming and disappointment. 
 
 FIX: How has Dr. Carson avoided getting caught in the Trump tornado that seems to have sucked everything other candidate in? Can he continue to exist in a place where Donald Trump doesn’t impact his candidacy? 
 
 Bennett: The truth is they are quite similar in defining the problems, but worlds apart in style. DBC [Dr. Ben Carson] is never going to say something mean about Trump. He told me the day I met him that he wasn’t running against anyone; he was running to change our country. I think DBC won the last debate simply because he showed some of his personality. He is smart, funny and immensely likable. That was a very strong contrast to all of the bickering about who loves the Fourth Amendment the most. The style contrast between the two couldn’t be more vivid. In a field of candidates, success depends on being different. 
 
 FIX: How can Dr. Carson, who has never held office before, be ready to be president? What is he doing to get more beefed up when it comes to say, foreign policy? 
 
 Bennett: I should point out that the current Congress has a combined 8,700 years of political experience. It seems to me that great leaders must have something more than experience. DBC is the smartest man I have ever met. But more importantly he has an internal compass that is solid. DBC has lectured and practiced medicine in 57 countries. He lived abroad for a year and a half. We have spent the summer sitting him down with experts and hiring our own. Every morning he is briefed by experts in what is going on in the world. He is an avid reader. Our policy team may not be household names, but they are experts from the Department of Defense, State, the National Security Council and the CIA. Doctors have this great system of calling in specialists to help them solve problems. He will be more than able handle his own. Take a great man like Lincoln. What made him great? It wasn’t his one term in Congress. It was his core. 
 
 FIX: What does Dr. Carson’s kitchen cabinet look like? Who does he rely on for strategic advice? 
 
 Bennett: His cabinet looks like his life. He spent 18 years on some of America’s biggest corporate boards. He accumulated many friends along the way. His medical career brought him in contact with some of the great minds in health care. His foundation’s focus on reading and education has had him working with thought leaders on education. His economic team his headed by Professor Tom Rustici and his national security team is headed by General Bob Dees. Their work is supplemented by dozens of others. 
 
 FIX: Finish this sentence: The biggest hurdle Dr. Carson has to winning the GOP nomination is _______________. Now, explain. 
 
 Bennett: "Getting some time at the microphone." The DBC life story is the most compelling political story in a long, long time. To know it is to become an admirer. Every other candidate in the field has to drive over the back of other candidates to get the nomination. DBC just has to be himself and spread the word of who he is, how he got here, and what we need to do together to save this country. ||||| Here are five debate demands included in a draft letter to debate media sponsors. Leading Republican presidential campaigns and attorney Ben Ginsberg put the list together. No campaign has signed off on the draft so far. The Post's David Weigel and Robert Costa obtained the draft. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) 
 
 Here are five debate demands included in a draft letter to debate media sponsors. Leading Republican presidential campaigns and attorney Ben Ginsberg put the list together. No campaign has signed off on the draft so far. The Post's David Weigel and Robert Costa obtained the draft. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) 
 
 The format and content of upcoming Republican debates became increasingly uncertain on Monday after Donald Trump’s campaign said the real estate mogul would negotiate his terms directly with television executives instead of as part of a joint effort with his rivals. 
 
 The move by Trump, coming just hours after his and other campaigns huddled in a Washington suburb to craft a three-page letter of possible demands, thwarts an effort to find consensus after what most candidates agreed was a debacle hosted by CNBC last week. 
 
 As a celebrity billionaire who has been a leading factor in drawing record ratings, Trump has little interest in working to promote the wishes of his opponents, his allies said. 
 
 [GOP contenders demand greater control of crucial debates] 
 
 The maneuvering by Trump and the other Republican candidates was met with annoyance by network executives, who said they have little interest in altering a process they believe was settled months ago. 
 
 During the third GOP debate, candidates got feisty with the CNBC moderators. They took aim at the questions asked, at the "mainstream media" and at the moderators interrupting their answers. (Victoria M. Walker/The Washington Post) 
 
 “We agreed to this and now you’re saying you’re not agreeing?” said one executive who was granted anonymity in order to speak candidly. 
 
 “Do you want Ben Carson deciding who your moderators are? The answer is no,” said another. “Do you want Bobby Jindal’s campaign dictating how the debates will be run when Bobby Jindal may not even be in the race much longer?” 
 
 The consternation marked the latest turn in a debate process that has grown more problematic by the day. Officials with the Republican National Committee took control of the process for the 2016 presidential election after a long and eventful debate season that many in the party thought hurt its chances in 2012. 
 
 But the campaigns have been quietly irritated by the rigid process all year and broke into open revolt last week. The RNC responded by suspending NBC from hosting its Feb. 26 event, and it put a new staffer in charge of managing the debates. 
 
 RNC spokesman Sean Spicer, who had been overseeing the deliberations before being replaced last week, said he supports Trump and others as they negotiate directly with television executives. “These debates have always been about the candidates,” Spicer said. “The candidates will be and always should be determining the best format for them.” 
 
 All of the major commercial broadcast and cable news networks are scheduled to televise Republican debates through early March. The next debate, to be hosted by Fox Business Network on Nov. 10, is scheduled to go on as planned. 
 
 By negotiating on his own, Trump will aim to mold the debates to his liking, though it is unclear exactly what terms he will demand. One likely desire will be to limit the debates to two hours — following a three-hour CNN debate in September, Trump and Carson pushed CNBC to limit its forum to two hours. 
 
 1 of 18 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Memorable quotes from the third Republican presidential debate View Photos GOP presidential candidates came together in Colorado for the latest round of sparring. Caption GOP presidential candidates came together in Colorado for the latest round of sparring. Memorable quotes from the third Republican presidential debate Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 Politically, Trump’s go-it-alone approach continues his pattern of casting himself as a master negotiator and the one contender who can take charge of a party that has lost its way. 
 
 “I am very confident in Mr. Trump’s ability to negotiate the best deals with the networks, which will ultimately help all of the candidates in the race,” Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager, said in an interview. “He’s the best negotiator in the field, by a wide margin, and we’ve seen that time and time again.” 
 
 After Trump’s decision, the campaigns of Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) and Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J) confirmed that they would not sign on to the group endeavor. 
 
 “Stop complaining,” Christie said Monday morning on “Fox & Friends.” “Set up a stage, put podiums up there, and let’s just go.” 
 
 In an interview, Carson campaign manager Barry Bennett played down Trump’s break from the pack and said it would not alter the course of the multi-candidate negotiations with the networks. Bennett said Carson’s campaign was reviewing the letter, which was drafted by longtime GOP attorney Ben Ginsberg, and would offer edits within 48 hours. 
 
 “If they want to send their own letter, that’s fine — a letter’s a letter,” Bennett said. “The Trump folks were clear about what they wanted, and the Carson campaign agrees with them 90 percent of the time. We’re getting opening and closing statements. We’re going to get some parity in questions. We’re going to actually get formats announced to the campaigns. Trump’s basically asking for the same thing — he’s just going to do it with his own letterhead.” 
 
 The draft letter, which was obtained by The Washington Post, included a series of questions for any network slated to host a debate. They incorporated concerns from the participating campaigns, warning moderators against belittling the candidates by holding “lightning rounds” or describing “how far away the bathrooms are” after commercial breaks, should candidates leave the stage. They even included a suggested room temperature — 67 degrees. 
 
 The only disagreement during Sunday’s meeting between the Trump and Carson camps, as Bennett saw it, was that Trump opposed letting more candidates on the main stage. “They don’t want more people onstage, because they think that would mean more people taking shots at him,” Bennett said. “I’d argue that putting more people onstage actually helps Trump the most, as everyone’s going to want to divide the time evenly.” 
 
 While two of Trump’s senior aides — Lewandowski and counselor Donald F. McGahn — attended the Sunday gathering, they were far from ready to sign the letter, and they left unconvinced that a cooperative push on the debates would be helpful to protecting Trump’s front-runner status or providing him with the most possible airtime, according to attendees. 
 
 “It is what it is,” said Matt Beynon, a spokesman for former senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) who represented his campaign at the meeting, held in Virginia at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town hotel. “We would argue that there was a lot of common ground in that room. I had very low expectations, walking in there, that much progress would be made. . . . Mr. Trump is taking the course of action that looks best for him.” 
 
 Most Republican aides who came to Sunday’s conclave were not especially hopeful about finding consensus. Ginsberg, who oversaw the two-hour conversation, also made clear in his remarks to the group that his goal was to give them advice about how to deal with the networks, not necessarily urge them to work together. 
 
 Mark Levin, a talk-radio host and author suggested by some Republicans as a possible moderator, told Breitbart News on Monday that the RNC had lost control of the debates. “Reince Priebus should be fired or should resign,” Levin said of the RNC’s chairman. 
 
 Commentator Glenn Beck, who left Fox News to build a conservative media empire, released a public letter to Priebus recommending a perfect debate host: himself. 
 
 “Rather than being moderated by journalists who ask all the questions, I will host, and I will invite the greatest new conservative thinkers and media voices in America to prepare and ask questions live and by video,” Beck wrote. 
 
 “I’m with @glennbeck,” tweeted former Silicon Valley executive Carly Fiorina, the lone Republican candidate who did not send a representative to Sunday’s meeting. “What do you say, @Reince? Let’s have a conservative network host a debate!”
– "Next to my wife of 32 years, there is no one on this planet that I trust more than [Alfonso] Costa," Ben Carson said at a 2008 sentencing hearing for the man he calls his best friend. "We discovered that we were so much alike and shared the same values and principles that govern our lives." Carson may have to elaborate on those shared values and his loyalty to Costa, a former dentist convicted of charging for never-performed procedures, the AP reports. Records examined by the AP show the men have been entwined for some time, including Costa's ongoing involvement with Carson's children's charity and his son's role in Carson's election campaign. Most notable, though, is the money Carson has made with commercial real-estate investments via Costa, earning Carson and his wife between $200,000 and $2 million a year, per candidacy financial records. The AP notes Costa's ongoing links to Carson—who's always sworn the case against Costa was bogus, notes Mother Jones—are in the spotlight because Carson came out in 2013 with harsh words for those convicted of health care fraud, saying such convicts should go to prison for at least a decade and have to give up "all of one's personal possessions"—what the AP notes he called the "Saudi Arabian solution" in his 2011 book America the Beautiful. Carson's campaign spokesman told the AP Wednesday that he couldn't give any details on specific questions, but he did confirm that Carson and Costa "are best friends and ... do hold business investments together." And where Carson spent his most recent vacation to Italy in September? At Costa's luxury villa on the Amalfi coast, per Mother Jones. Read the full AP report.