Thief rips off Republican party committee: police docs

A fraudulent check scam cost the Oregon Republican Party more than $800, making the political group the latest victim in a string of attacks targeting campaigns and committees this year.

The Oregon Republican Party lost $842.99 when a suspicious check made payable to “Jeremiah Grieser” was deposited at Alliant Credit Union on May 30, according to a Salem Police Department report obtained by Raw Story.

An Oregon Republican Party official “discovered a suspicious check that did not match any known format of checks used by the Oregon Republican Party. Upon investigating further, she discovered that the check was fraudulent and had been fabricated using the Umpqua Bank account information of the Oregon Republican Party,” said the report filed by Michael Vega, an officer with the department.

Natalie Offenbecher Newgard, the Oregon Republican Party’s bookkeeper, contacted police on June 1, according to the police report. Newgard and other Oregon Republican Party officials did not respond to multiple requests by Raw Story seeking comment.

But in a June 6 letter to the Federal Election Commission, the Oregon Republican Party told the government that it was a “victim of fraud” and that “an individual created a counterfit [sic] check using the ORP's bank account number and used that to withdraw $842.99 from the committee's bank account.”

The police report indicated that Newgard is unsure if Umpqua Bank will be reimbursing the Oregon GOP’s account.

The report lists Jeremiah Jesse Grieser of Keizer, Ore., as an alleged "involved other.” A person by that name from Keizer, Oregon, was previously arrested as a primary suspect in a 2016 convenience store robbery in Jefferson, Ore., according to the Statesman Journal, although it’s unclear whether the two Griesers are the same person.

Angela Hedrick, public information officer for the Salem Police Department, said no arrest has been made in relation to the Oregon Republican Party’s theft.

“Whether the crime is fraud, forgery, or theft, it is important that a victim file a report, so that all available leads can be investigated,” Hedrick said.

Grieser could not be reached after multiple attempts for comment.

Political theft epidemic

The Oregon Republican Party may not have lost a ton of cash this month, and it still has about $11,700 in its federal campaign account as of May 31, according to FEC records.

But the theft from its campaign account is emblematic of a much larger problem in American politics of late: thieves together stealing millions of donor dollars from dozens of political campaign committees.

Many of the committees have acknowledged flaws in their internal security protocols. And some have failed to recover significant portions of the cash they’ve lost despite the efforts of law enforcement and banks to retrieve it.

Raw Story in recent weeks has identified several members of Congress and PACs who’ve been victimized by fraudsters in what’s become open season on politicians’ campaign accounts.

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In May, Raw Story reported that the Managed Funds Association PAC was targeted more than 20 times between Jan. 1 and March 31, initially losing $147,000 in fraudulent check payments, although it appears 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 late last year that initially cost his campaign $690,000.

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 recent campaign cash thefts.

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The problem isn’t unique to Republicans: In November, 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 Insider.

One-time Democratic presidential candidate and congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and rapper-turned-2020 presidential candidate Ye, formerly Kanye West, are among others who reported money stolen from their political accounts.

At the end of February, the Business Industry Political Action Committee — the nation's oldest federal business — reported losing $14,156 to thieves, while the federal PAC of State Farm Insurance lost $12,220 to thieves, Raw Story first reported.

In March, the Energy Marketers of America Small Business Committee PAC reported to the FEC $5,000 in check fraud supporting Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and thieves went on a $195 shopping spree at Chick-fil-A with funds for Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN), according to a March FEC filing.

Other fraud victims this year include Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH), whose campaign was able to reverse a $621.96 unauthorized purchase on February 17, according to an FEC filing reviewed by Raw Story.

Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC)’s campaign lost $2,500 with a fraudulent payment on February 27, according to an FEC filing, and the International Longshoremen’s Association, a labor union, was able to get a $726.42 fraudulent automatic payment on the same date reversed, according to an FEC filing.

The Build Political Action Committee of the National Association of Home Builders (BUILDPAC) reported $500 and some change in fraudulent debits on February 27, according to an FEC filing.

The McKesson Corporation, a pharmaceutical and medical supplies company, informed the FEC that it, too, had fallen victim to someone who "created, forged and cashed a fictitious PAC check for $12,000" on Nov. 7.

The McKesson Company Employees Political Fund notified its bank "immediately upon discovery of the fraudulent activity" and attempted to secure return of the lost funds.

"To date," the committee added, "the bank has not returned the stolen funds."

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, be it cyber theft, forgeries or check tampering, according to Insider.