COEUR d'ALENE - Mayoral candidate Mary Souza said late Tuesday she has returned a $1,000 campaign contribution from Ocean of Life Foundation after The Press began looking into the organization.

"Even though I do not believe that there was anything illegal done, I don't even want the impression of a problem, so I am returning the money," she said.

The Press began looking into the foundation, with a mailing address in Auburn, Wash., after the name came up in the campaign disclosure forms filed by Souza last Thursday.

Twice Souza declined to reveal who is behind the foundation, or what the foundation was about. She said the donor wanted to remain anonymous and that is why the donation came through the foundation.

She said the person who donated the money was a local person with local ties to the community.

Tuesday evening, a man identifying himself as the director of Ocean of Life Foundation spoke with Press Editor Mike Patrick. He gave his name with the understanding that, because the donation had been returned, his identity not be disclosed in this story. He said he is a private person and wants that privacy to be respected.

Earlier Tuesday, a man identifying himself as the director of the foundation left a voice mail insisting The Press cease its investigation immediately.

"Mr. Selle, I am the director of the Ocean of Life Foundation. I hear you are having a problem that we are giving a donation to one of the candidates. I don't know what your problem is, but I expect you to cease immediately your attitude toward the candidate, and you know who I am talking about," the caller said.

He went on to say the foundation knows the rules and they can contribute whatever they feel like contributing. He said the Ocean of Life is a legitimate foundation, and challenged The Press to do more "due diligence and try to find it.

"So, with that, I expect you to act professional," he said. "If you can't, we'll pursue a little farther and faster after you."

Souza said that she had spoken with the donor, and that is why he called The Press.

"What he said and how he behaved has nothing to do with me," she said. "I was totally unaware of any problem until you brought it to my attention and now I am taking the responsible action to return the donation."

There is an Ocean of Life Foundation on file in the state of Wyoming, with the manager listed as Edge Financial Inc. There is no way to determine if that is the same foundation that made the donation, however.

An Internet search reveals Cheryl Creson of Auburn, Wash., turned her house over to an Ocean of Life Foundation in 1999 on the advice from her attorney.

She had potential medical bills and feared that she was going to lose her house as a result, so her attorneys - who managed the foundation at the time - offered to transfer the property.

Creson said she later found out that her insurance was going to pay the medical bills, so she transferred the house back into her name.

"I am really not supposed to talk about it," she said, adding that the foundation was connected to a church and managed the church's financial matters.

While she is in the same town where the foundation lists its mailing address, she hasn't heard about the foundation since then.

Creson said she believes that one of the attorneys associated with the foundation may have relocated to eastern Washington.

"It was 20 years ago, so I don't recall much," she said. "I know the hospitals had access to it and it was some rich guy and his church behind it. But I never got to meet the guy."

When Creson learned of the phone message to The Press, she asked, "Are you a Democrat? Because I know they are hard-core Republicans."

The voice mail left by the foundation director included his caller identification number, but no name. When called, the man who answered denied saying he was the director of the foundation, but went on to say that the foundation made donations to other Coeur d'Alene candidates as well.

"I contributed to all of the candidates," he said. "You just haven't found that out yet. That's all."

He refused to divulge his name or give any information about the foundation itself.

"What does it matter what my name is?" he said. "What you are after is the Ocean of Life Foundation because you don't think it's real, or you don't know about it."