Sen. Scott Brown Paid Daughter $9,500 to Sing at Campaign Events

(NewsCore) - The campaign of Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) paid his daughter and her band $9,500 to sing at campaign-related events, The Boston Globe reported Friday.

Ayla Brown, 23 -- who once appeared as a contestant on "American Idol" and sings the national anthem at Philadelphia 76ers games -- was paid the sum for performing with her band at three Brown campaign events, including two Christmas parties, over the last fourteen months.

The payments appeared in campaign filings made out to Ambient Entertainment LLC, which represents Ayla Brown.

Despite it being unusual for candidates to pay family members for their services, it doesn't fall afoul of any campaign laws -- federal law allows campaigns to pay family members at fair market value for services.

Brown's campaign manager Jim Barnett explained to The Globe that the band was paid because "it would have been entirely inappropriate to suggest to other band members that they donate their professional services to the father of their lead singer.

"It is far more impractical to sort out any individual band member's relatively small cut of the compensation and reimbursement than to simply pay the band the fair market value for their services," he added.

Appearing on a local radio station Friday, Brown described his daughter as an "international entertainer" who had performed "all over the world," according to the Boston Herald. He also said it was "shocking" how much attention the story had got.

"This is her livelihood and we were advised to pay her fair market value so there would be nothing raised," he told the show. "To have her band members do something for nothing just because it's Ayla isn't appropriate."

Brown -- who was elected to the Senate in a 2010 special election to fill the late Ted Kennedy's seat -- is currently in a tough re-election battle against Harvard Law professor and consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren.

According to Politico, Ayla Brown will sing the national anthem at the 76ers' home game against the Miami Heat Friday evening.

Read more: The Boston Globe