Texas Republican has $25K stolen from campaign
Fraudsters stole more than $25,000 from the campaign of a prominent Republican congressional candidate in Texas — the latest in an epidemic of political campaign thefts, according to a Raw Story analysis of federal campaign records.
The campaign for Scott Armey, a Republican U.S. House candidate for Texas' 26th Congressional District, lost $25,013 through a “fraudulent transaction," according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
The fraudulent transaction took place on Feb. 9 and involved “media placement” from political media firm SRCP Media, the FEC filing indicated.
Scott Armey for Congress did not respond to Raw Story’s requests for comment.
Armey, a former judge and commissioner in Denton County, Texas, just north of Dallas, is once again running for the seat held by his father, former Rep. Dick Armey (R-TX), from 1985 to 2003. Dick Armey served as House majority leader from 1995 to 2003.
Congressional primaries in Texas will be held March 5. Scott Armey faces a crowded Republican primary field, which includes Brandon Gill, the son-in-law of Republican author and provocateur Dinesh D’Souza.
Scott Armey for Congress raised $281,855 between October 1 and February 14, and had $94,294 cash on hand as of February 14, per FEC records.
Scott Armey previously lost his bid for the seat in a 2002 runoff against Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), who announced his retirement last year, according to the Dallas Morning News.
In a separate incident, thieves also hit a New York labor political action committee — the Mason Tenders District Council of New York and Long Island PAC.
The labor PAC reported 29 fraudulent Venmo and Uber transactions between July 19 and Sept. 6, according to recent disclosures to the FEC.
Total tab: $4,308.84.
“These charges were the result of a stolen credit card and identity theft,” Kris Kohler, assistant director for the PAC told Raw Story via email. “The committee does not know the perpetrator(s) of the theft and the fraud or if any criminal or civil action has been taken against the perpetrator(s). The committee worked diligently to resolve this circumstance and has duly reported to the FEC all associated transactions.”
The PAC, which reported to the FEC expenditures of more than $2.8 million between Jan. 1, 2023 and Jan. 31, 2024, “has influenced government to approve literally tens of billions of dollars worth of unionized construction work throughout New York City and Long Island,” according to its website.
The PAC previously reported $339.93 refunded from “fraudulent charge(s)” between June 27 and July 12 at the Diplomat Canteen in Florida and Industry Kitchen in New York, according to an FEC filing.
Political committee theft epidemic
This is hardly the first time thieves ripped off political fundraising committees.
Over the past year, Raw Story reported that scammers stole millions of donor dollars combined from dozens of political campaign committees — which have experienced varying levels of success in recouping the stolen funds.
Most recently, the Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest PAC reported $14,156.25 in fraud over the course of December, Raw Story reported.
A thief nabbed a $3,000 check sent by a political committee led by former House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). The July 2023 check intended for a photographer was “stolen during the USPS mail process and fraudulently cashed,” Raw Story reported.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s political action committee reported theft of nearly $4,700 due to fraudulent checks in December, and the Oregon Republican Party was the victim of a fake check scam last summer.
Last year, the FEC questioned the campaign of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) about the fraudulent use of her campaign credit card by far-right agitator Milo Yiannopoulos, who purchased a 2024 campaign website domain for rapper-turned-2020 presidential candidate Ye, formerly Kanye West, using Greene’s donor dollars, Raw Story reported.
In May, Raw Story reported that the Managed Funds Association PAC was targeted more than 20 times between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2023, initially losing $147,000 in fraudulent check payments, although it appeared to have since recouped the money, according to filings with the FEC.
The Retired Americans PAC, a super PAC that supports Democrats, recouped more than $150,000 it lost in late 2022 after paying fraudulent bills sent to the committee, according to an April 21 letter to the Federal Election Commission, Raw Story reported.
The FBI got involved when Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) was the victim of a cybertheft incident in late 2022 that initially cost his campaign $690,000.
Raw Story reported that other current and former Republican members of Congress targeted by thieves include Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas (his campaign lost $157,626), former Rep. John Katko of New York ($14,000), Rep. Neal Dunn of Florida ($10,855), Rep. Russell Fry of South Carolina ($2,607.98) and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida ($362.04).
The Republican National Committee and Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) also experienced campaign cash thefts.
The problem isn’t unique to Republicans.
Last year, the Minnesota Democratic Party experienced check fraud. In November 2022, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s campaign fell victim to check fraud worth $10,085, Raw Story reported, and President Joe Biden’s 2020 Democratic presidential campaign committee lost at least $71,000, according to Business Insider.
One-time Democratic presidential candidate and congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and West are among others who reported money stolen from their political accounts.
Other PACs losing campaign cash to thieves include the Business Industry Political Action Committee ($14,156), State Farm Insurance PAC ($12,220) and the International Franchise Association Franchising Political Action Committee ($2,500), Raw Story reported.
The political action committees of Google, National Association of Manufacturers, Consumer Technology Association, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, MoveOn.org, and law firms Akerman LLP and Blank Rome LLP have also experienced theft of various kinds, ranging from cyber theft to forgeries and check tampering, according to Business Insider.