Louis DeJoy Accused of Massive Campaign Finance Fraud
September 6, 2020 1:17 PM Subscribe
Trump's wolf, Louis DeJoy, assigned to guard the USPS hen house, has been accused of campaign finance fraud.
“Louis was a national fundraiser for the Republican Party. He asked employees for money. We gave him the money, and then he reciprocated by giving us big bonuses,” said David Young, DeJoy’s longtime director of human resources, who had access to payroll records at New Breed from the late 1990s to 2013 and is now retired. “When we got our bonuses, let’s just say they were bigger, they exceeded expectations — and that covered the tax and everything else.”
It seems relevant that it also got D'Souza a presidential pardon.
posted by ghharr at 1:29 PM on September 6, 2020 [19 favorites]
posted by ghharr at 1:29 PM on September 6, 2020 [19 favorites]
So what is the scam here - the donations from employees were used to get around the limits that the company could donate, and, since they were later reimbursed, the donation very much was not from them?
posted by thelonius at 1:31 PM on September 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 1:31 PM on September 6, 2020 [4 favorites]
So what is the scam here - the donations from employees were used to get around the limits that the company could donate, and, since they were later reimbursed, the donation very much was not from them?
Yes, reimbursing people for contributions is flagrantly illegal because it circumvents per-person contribution limits.
Of course, post-Citizens United, you could just dump all your cash into a SuperPAC and nothing bad would happen.
posted by Hollywood Upstairs Medical College at 1:38 PM on September 6, 2020 [17 favorites]
Yes, reimbursing people for contributions is flagrantly illegal because it circumvents per-person contribution limits.
Of course, post-Citizens United, you could just dump all your cash into a SuperPAC and nothing bad would happen.
posted by Hollywood Upstairs Medical College at 1:38 PM on September 6, 2020 [17 favorites]
It seems relevant that it also got D'Souza a presidential pardon.
Yeah, but even if DeJoy doesn't ultimately suffer any real consequences, if this at least gets him kicked off his USPS hatchet job I'm willing to call it a "win" of sorts.
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:55 PM on September 6, 2020 [16 favorites]
Yeah, but even if DeJoy doesn't ultimately suffer any real consequences, if this at least gets him kicked off his USPS hatchet job I'm willing to call it a "win" of sorts.
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:55 PM on September 6, 2020 [16 favorites]
The Scandals Surrounding Trump Are Beginning to Overlap in Strange Ways (WaPo, 9/2)
In which Trump's finance team of Steve Wynn (resigned after sexual misconduct accusations, allegedly lobbied Trump on behalf of China), Elliott Broidy (allegedly lobbied Trump on behalf of China, resigned after a payment to a former Playboy model), Michael Cohen (plead guilty to eight federal charges, represented Broidy), and DeJoy (accused of campaign finance fraud, currently trying to strangle the USPS) all got each others' hands a little dirtier.
Steve Bannon (arrested for running a fraudulent border-wall charity) and Guo Wengui (he's being investigated for violating securities laws, and Bannon was arrested on his yacht) also make appearances.
posted by box at 2:03 PM on September 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
In which Trump's finance team of Steve Wynn (resigned after sexual misconduct accusations, allegedly lobbied Trump on behalf of China), Elliott Broidy (allegedly lobbied Trump on behalf of China, resigned after a payment to a former Playboy model), Michael Cohen (plead guilty to eight federal charges, represented Broidy), and DeJoy (accused of campaign finance fraud, currently trying to strangle the USPS) all got each others' hands a little dirtier.
Steve Bannon (arrested for running a fraudulent border-wall charity) and Guo Wengui (he's being investigated for violating securities laws, and Bannon was arrested on his yacht) also make appearances.
posted by box at 2:03 PM on September 6, 2020 [7 favorites]
Our boy Dean Del Mastro (Peterborough Ontario's MP) had to do a bit of time - sadly only a month - for this kind of thing. On the plus side he was also banned from running for federal office for 5 years. I wish you all the best in bringing some sort of consequences home for DeJoy.
posted by LegallyBread at 2:31 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by LegallyBread at 2:31 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
It seems relevant that it also got D'Souza a presidential pardon.
The Post article claims DeJoy also violated state laws though.
posted by mr_roboto at 2:46 PM on September 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
The Post article claims DeJoy also violated state laws though.
posted by mr_roboto at 2:46 PM on September 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
This is my surprised face. :|
posted by SPrintF at 2:50 PM on September 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
posted by SPrintF at 2:50 PM on September 6, 2020 [10 favorites]
Florida timeshare shithead David Siegel did a similar thing for GWB (and nothing happened) though this sounds much worse because actual transfer of money was involved.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:13 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:13 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Just another creature from the swamp that Trump repopulated.
posted by mygoditsbob at 3:54 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mygoditsbob at 3:54 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Didn’t that massage parlor owner from that Mar-a-lago fundraiser also do this?
posted by Selena777 at 4:56 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Selena777 at 4:56 PM on September 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Right, let's just recap the criminal Elliott Broidy:
Also note: Republican officials are TOTALLY FINE with looting, as long as it's money laundering millions of dollars from an entire nation's citizens and not breaking windows for $200 electronics. "Tough on crime," my foot.
This is great to know, and I hope it means jail time for Mr. DeJoy pronto.
Thank you for posting this, Your Childhood Pet Rock.
posted by kristi at 5:05 PM on September 6, 2020 [42 favorites]
- 2005-2008: finance chair of the Republican National Committee
- 2009: accused of bribing pension authorities, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, testified against those pension authorities, and paid $18 million in restitution
- 2017-2018: deputy finance chair of the RNC, who apparently have no problem with a history of criminal activity in their officers
- April 2018: resigned from RNC after the Wall Street Journal reported on his $1.6 million payoff to Shera Bechard for her silence about a sexual affair between them
- December 2018: New York Times reports that federal court documents show Broidy laundering unbelievable amounts of money involving an investigation into the looting of a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund - Broidy's job was to get the investigation dropped
Also note: Republican officials are TOTALLY FINE with looting, as long as it's money laundering millions of dollars from an entire nation's citizens and not breaking windows for $200 electronics. "Tough on crime," my foot.
This is great to know, and I hope it means jail time for Mr. DeJoy pronto.
Thank you for posting this, Your Childhood Pet Rock.
posted by kristi at 5:05 PM on September 6, 2020 [42 favorites]
As for possible prosecution - from the article:
Although it can be permissible to encourage employees to make donations, reimbursing them for those contributions is a violation of North Carolina and federal election laws. Known as a straw-donor scheme, the practice allows donors to evade individual contribution limits and obscures the true source of money used to influence elections.posted by kristi at 5:10 PM on September 6, 2020 [11 favorites]
Such federal violations carry a five-year statute of limitations. There is no statute of limitations in North Carolina for felonies, including campaign finance violations.
Surely this...will result in some handwringing in the commentariat, but ultimately no lasting change.
posted by nubs at 5:42 PM on September 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by nubs at 5:42 PM on September 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
Since the Republicans succeeded in killing the FEC, I really hope North Carolina does something about this. Not sure how likely this looks from inside the state...
According to some cursory searching, Governor Roy Cooper (D) doesn't seem to have significant ties to DeJoy, so fingers crossed...
posted by Anoplura at 6:16 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
According to some cursory searching, Governor Roy Cooper (D) doesn't seem to have significant ties to DeJoy, so fingers crossed...
posted by Anoplura at 6:16 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
There are two crimes. The first is using straw donors to exceed individual contribution limits. The second crime is concealing the true source of contributions, as contributions exceeding $200 are supposed to be publicly disclosed by individual.
posted by JackFlash at 6:24 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by JackFlash at 6:24 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
> The Scandals Surrounding Trump ....
Looks like he has already topped Nixon ... and that's going some ...
posted by Twang at 6:35 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Looks like he has already topped Nixon ... and that's going some ...
posted by Twang at 6:35 PM on September 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
He also lied to Congress about this very issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FJKeruyIA8
posted by ryoshu at 6:43 PM on September 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by ryoshu at 6:43 PM on September 6, 2020 [8 favorites]
Dear mods,
I promise I won't advocate burning it all the fuck down, killing them all in an attempt to allow god sorting rights, or any kind of violent antifascist action, in service of democracy, decency, and the good people of the United States, or suggest IN ANY WAY that the republican party is NOT included in the good people of the United States.
I would, however, like to say THE DAY IS COMING, WE WILL LIVE IN A BETTER, MORE HOPEFUL WORLD FREE FROM THE TYRANNY OF FASCISM! And on that day I will leave flowers on the graves of all of these poor misguided people.
posted by evilDoug at 9:20 PM on September 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
I promise I won't advocate burning it all the fuck down, killing them all in an attempt to allow god sorting rights, or any kind of violent antifascist action, in service of democracy, decency, and the good people of the United States, or suggest IN ANY WAY that the republican party is NOT included in the good people of the United States.
I would, however, like to say THE DAY IS COMING, WE WILL LIVE IN A BETTER, MORE HOPEFUL WORLD FREE FROM THE TYRANNY OF FASCISM! And on that day I will leave flowers on the graves of all of these poor misguided people.
posted by evilDoug at 9:20 PM on September 6, 2020 [9 favorites]
We're gonna need Trump's Wall just to have something to line all these people up against. As they're getting frisked while being arrested, of course. I wouldn't want to be seen as advocating violent revolution or anything untoward like that.
posted by frodisaur at 9:36 PM on September 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by frodisaur at 9:36 PM on September 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
It's just crooks all the way down.
posted by valkane at 9:47 PM on September 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by valkane at 9:47 PM on September 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
He also lied to Congress about this very issue..That clip proves nothing. You can't even see his hands, let alone tell whether his fingers were crossed.
(In all seriousness, though, things are so crazy that I would not be surprised to see that become a talking point among his defenders.)
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:10 PM on September 6, 2020
Remember, when Trump rails against corruption, he is actually seeking to uphold the systems where the rich hold sway over the masses, black and brown people are held subordinate in a system of white supremacy, women are objects for the (ab)use of men, and LGBTQ people must conform to religious demands.
Trump cares fuck all about corruption in the law. Laws are for other people to follow. He cares about corruption of the social order.
posted by Big Al 8000 at 5:13 AM on September 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
Trump cares fuck all about corruption in the law. Laws are for other people to follow. He cares about corruption of the social order.
posted by Big Al 8000 at 5:13 AM on September 7, 2020 [4 favorites]
Oh, look! Another Trump-related "scandal". I use quotes because nothing ever seems to affect him or his residency in the White House.
posted by tommasz at 6:43 AM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by tommasz at 6:43 AM on September 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
NC Governor Roy Cooper is actually a fantastic governor who is working really hard to clean up the mess in the state caused by 10+ years of illegal Republican gerrymandered control and election fraud. I think there are probably interesting questions about connections between the benefactors of DeJoy's strawdonor scheme and the people involved in those two illegal Republican operations. Although the Republican legislature has worked hard to strip the governor of his constitutional powers, he has continued to fight back against their corruption, just as he did when he was state attorney general.
posted by hydropsyche at 7:30 AM on September 7, 2020 [12 favorites]
posted by hydropsyche at 7:30 AM on September 7, 2020 [12 favorites]
One of the messes that Roy Cooper has to clean up was created by DeJoy's wife, Aldona Wos and her successor Rick Brajer in the North Carolina DHHS. There was a federal grand jury investigation but no prosecutions.
posted by rdr at 8:04 AM on September 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by rdr at 8:04 AM on September 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
I know it's problematic, but I do think sometimes you can tell a lot about someone by the expression on their face. I have yet to see a picture or photo of the man where he doesn't have a mien that signals the exact kind of arrogant dickbag indicated by everything we know of his actions.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:12 AM on September 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by aspersioncast at 8:12 AM on September 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
The Scandals Surrounding Trump Are Beginning to Overlap in Strange Ways (WaPo, 9/2)
Tl;dr: they overlap in that they are all grifters who grift seperately and together.
posted by jaduncan at 10:07 AM on September 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
Tl;dr: they overlap in that they are all grifters who grift seperately and together.
posted by jaduncan at 10:07 AM on September 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
The NC Attorney General, Josh Stein, is also a Democrat and has made a brief public statement about the illegality of these actions and calling for their investigation.
I live in Greensboro, a half hour walk from Louis DeJoy’s house here. There’s been a bunch of traffic on local Facebook groups about this, and the conservatives are unusually quiet. There seems to be a sense that people could disagree about whether what he was doing at the post office was much-needed modernization or destruction of a public good. But this - is clearly a crime.
posted by jeoc at 10:09 AM on September 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
I live in Greensboro, a half hour walk from Louis DeJoy’s house here. There’s been a bunch of traffic on local Facebook groups about this, and the conservatives are unusually quiet. There seems to be a sense that people could disagree about whether what he was doing at the post office was much-needed modernization or destruction of a public good. But this - is clearly a crime.
posted by jeoc at 10:09 AM on September 7, 2020 [5 favorites]
Postal police union sues USPS, DeJoy over limits to mail theft enforcement authority (Politico, Sept. 14, 2020) The Postal Service last month abruptly ordered its police officers to stop investigating mail theft that occurs away from post office property, the Postal Police Officers Association alleged Monday, suing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to block a change they say could erode the safety of mail carriers and delivery.
"The Postal Service’s sudden change is unwarranted, impermissible, and contrary to the language of the statute and also to collective bargaining promises it has made to the officers’ union," the association said in its lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Washington D.C. Per the union, USPS implemented the change on Aug. 25, a day after DeJoy testified to Congress amid mounting concerns that policy changes he implemented were delaying mail service and could jeopardize record numbers of mail-in ballots expected in the presidential election.
Way back on Aug. 18, DeJoy had issued a statement: "I came to the Postal Service to make changes to secure the success of this organization and its long-term sustainability. I believe significant reforms are essential to that objective, and work toward those reforms will commence after the election. In the meantime, there are some longstanding operational initiatives — efforts that predate my arrival at the Postal Service — that have been raised as areas of concern as the nation prepares to hold an election in the midst of a devastating pandemic. To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded."
Despite DeJoy's vows to halt changes, serious problems persist, postal workers say (NBC, Aug. 28) “Some stations have so much mail backed up, it’s three times more than the volume you would see at Christmas,” a Chicago postal worker said.
Bannon was arrested by the USPIS on a yacht, but their part in that investigation seems to be mail fraud related, not mail theft.
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:25 PM on September 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
"The Postal Service’s sudden change is unwarranted, impermissible, and contrary to the language of the statute and also to collective bargaining promises it has made to the officers’ union," the association said in its lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Washington D.C. Per the union, USPS implemented the change on Aug. 25, a day after DeJoy testified to Congress amid mounting concerns that policy changes he implemented were delaying mail service and could jeopardize record numbers of mail-in ballots expected in the presidential election.
Way back on Aug. 18, DeJoy had issued a statement: "I came to the Postal Service to make changes to secure the success of this organization and its long-term sustainability. I believe significant reforms are essential to that objective, and work toward those reforms will commence after the election. In the meantime, there are some longstanding operational initiatives — efforts that predate my arrival at the Postal Service — that have been raised as areas of concern as the nation prepares to hold an election in the midst of a devastating pandemic. To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded."
Despite DeJoy's vows to halt changes, serious problems persist, postal workers say (NBC, Aug. 28) “Some stations have so much mail backed up, it’s three times more than the volume you would see at Christmas,” a Chicago postal worker said.
Bannon was arrested by the USPIS on a yacht, but their part in that investigation seems to be mail fraud related, not mail theft.
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:25 PM on September 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
When Rep. Porter quizzed him last month, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Could Not Answer A Question About The Price Of A Postcard Stamp. (It's 35 cents.) The USPS is still owed milliions by the Trump administration for a March mailing job: 138 million postcards, featuring Trump's name & COVID-19 guidelines. "USA TODAY reported earlier this year the total cost of printing and mailing the postcards was $28 million, with a total printing cost of $4.6 million."
The CREW crew filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Friday, alleging Louis DeJoy "orchestrated an illegal straw donor scheme to help elect Republicans." Quotes in the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington press release:
"By utilizing straw donors, DeJoy and his company were able to make excessive contributions, use illegal campaign funds to make donations, and conceal these activities and the true sources of the contributions from the public, in violation of the law,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said. “The FEC needs to thoroughly investigate this.” &
“As Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy has done potentially irreparable damage to Americans’ ability to vote safely in this election,” Bookbinder said. “It does not come as a surprise he apparently has a history of electoral malfeasance.”
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:56 PM on September 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
The CREW crew filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Friday, alleging Louis DeJoy "orchestrated an illegal straw donor scheme to help elect Republicans." Quotes in the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington press release:
"By utilizing straw donors, DeJoy and his company were able to make excessive contributions, use illegal campaign funds to make donations, and conceal these activities and the true sources of the contributions from the public, in violation of the law,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said. “The FEC needs to thoroughly investigate this.” &
“As Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy has done potentially irreparable damage to Americans’ ability to vote safely in this election,” Bookbinder said. “It does not come as a surprise he apparently has a history of electoral malfeasance.”
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:56 PM on September 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 1:27 PM on September 6, 2020 [24 favorites]