The Hill's 2011 50 Wealthiest in Congress

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman has always been one of the richest members of Congress, but his wealth shot up in 2010 by almost $60 million.

The rise in Issa’s fortune can be explained by his creation at the end of 2010 of several limited partnerships that received commercial properties from DEI LLC, a commercial property management company in Vista, Calif. Many of those new companies are worth at least $5 million each, and helped boost the value of his assets.

Issa founded Directed Electronics, the nation’s biggest manufacturer of car security systems.

Issa reported two massive liabilities in 2010: a debt with Greene Properties worth at least $50 million and another liability with DEI valued at least $25 million.

—Kevin Bogardus

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