WASHINGTON — Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) is so concerned about mail fraud that he introduced legislation that would double the penalties for those convicted of theft via the U.S. Postal Service.
Now, it appears Calvert himself has fallen victim to the kind of fraud he's trying to prevent — the latest in a litany of lawmakers and political committees who together have lost millions of dollars in political cash to recent financial criminals.
For Calvert, his leadership political action committee — Eureka Political Action Committee — experienced an "unauthorized expense" worth $9,900 in late August, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission reviewed by Raw Story.
Calvert's committee told federal regulators that it believes someone stole a check while it was in transit in the U.S. mail, which the thief "recreated and cashed to an unauthorized entity."
The Eureka Political Action Committee filed a police report and a fraud claim with its bank, Wells Fargo, it told regulators. It added that the thief was not believed to be "an internal bad actor."
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) is the latest members of Congress to experience a theft from his political committees.
Calvert's committee, which ended September with just short of $35,000 cash on hand, has not yet recouped the lost money, but expect to eventually get it back through the fraud claim process, Calvert chief of staff Rebecca Keightley told Raw Story.
In the meantime, "we have changed mail practices for any checks over a certain threshold will be sent via FedEx and for those under the threshold, checks will be wrapped in paper so as to better disguise the content of the mail," Keightley said.
She added that because "mail-related check fraud is a rising problem," the nation needs "stronger penalties in place for those breaking the law" and that the U.S. Postal Serves "needs to increase security of mail practices."
Numerous political thefts
Calvert, who ranks among the U.S. House's longest-serving members, having represented parts of inland Southern California since 1993, is hardly alone in losing political cash to wrong-doers.
In September, "an unknown individual created, forged and cashed a fictitious PAC check in the amount of $2,000," the federal political action committee of the Exelon Corporation, the nation's largest power utility company, wrote to the FEC last week.
The Exelon PAC said it notified its bank, Comerica, and the bank returned the lost funds on Oct. 2.
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These thefts are 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 months 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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Political committees for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, banking giant Goldman Sachs and the Oregon Republican Party are among the latest to get jacked.
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.
Bipartisan targets
As Ocasio-Cortez’s situation underscores, the problem isn’t unique to Republicans: In November, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s campaign fell victim to check fraud worth $10,085, 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.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is among the notable politicians to lose money from their political committees because of theft. (AFP)
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.
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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.
Alexandria Jacobson contributed to this report.
