All posts tagged "Bipac"

WASHINGTON — An "unknown and unauthorized external party" stole nearly $7,500 from Marriott International's federal political action committee — the latest in a string of thefts affecting high-profile politicians, corporations and unions.

The thefts, which took place on Feb. 20 and March 12, according to federal documents reviewed by Raw Story, were not an inside job, the Marriott International Inc. Political Action Committee told the Federal Election Commission.

"The transactions were external fraudulent activity and not the result of committee staff misappropriating funds or due
to a failure to implement internal controls," Marriott International's PAC wrote the FEC on Aug. 6 following an inquiry from the agency in July. "In fact, the Committees internal controls contributed to the quick identification, reporting, and remedy of this issue."...

The Vermont Democratic Party is one of many political fundraising committees that have fallen victim to theft during the past couple of years.

But it’s the only one where the thief deposited the stolen funds into a sports betting account.

A Raw Story analysis of Federal Election Commission records showed the Vermont Democratic Party experienced a fraudulent charge of $925 on its political committee debit card — and the money went into an account on the sports and fantasy gambling site FanDuel....

Thieves targeting political committees are at it again, this time running off with nearly $40,000 from a political action committee supporting miners, according to a Raw Story review of federal records.

The United Mine Workers of America – Coal Miners PAC lost $37,000 because an unidentified thief “hacked” its bank account on Feb. 29, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission.

The union’s membership ranges from coal miners to manufacturing workers to health care workers to corrections officers. ...

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign committee fell victim to fraud by someone who rang up $873.17 worth of bogus charges with ride-sharing company Lyft, according to federal records reviewed by Raw Story.

Lyft on May 25 reimbursed Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign, which in a filing with the Federal Election Commission described the matter as a “refund of fraudulent charges.”

The campaign committee of Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, is a frequent Lyft customer, having taken dozens of trips together worth several thousand dollars this year, federal records indicate....

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....

The Business Industry Political Action Committee — the nation's oldest federal business PAC and friends with some of the biggest names in corporate America — just became the latest political committee to fall victim to thieves.

In all, BIPAC on Feb. 27 lost $14,156.89 to "an individual not associated with" the committee, according to new documents filed with the Federal Election Commission and reviewed by Raw Story.

To steal the money, the unknown perpetrator used "a forged image of a BIPAC check and not an actual check used for business purposes," BIPAC told federal regulators....