All posts tagged "Diana Harshbarger"

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....

A political action committee for a ubiquitous home improvement company is doing some financial renovations in the wake of fraud, according to a new financial filing.

The Home Depot Inc., PAC reported to the Federal Election Commission that it experienced theft of $7,500 in December due to an "erroneous bank debit."

"The PAC has taken action to prevent this from happening in the future by closing that bank account and opening a new account," said a report to FEC from May 8. "In addition, the PAC is using positive pay through the bank to prevent any future occurrences."...

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), who’s running for the U.S. Senate, had a check for almost $40,000 stolen from his campaign organization and cashed — the latest in numerous thefts from political campaigns.

A Raw Story review of Federal Election Commission records shows that the Banks for Senate committee attempted to pay a $39,328.60 bill to Steve Brown Direct Marketing, a campaign contractor. But the paper check the campaign marketing firm via the U.S. Postal Service in July was stolen in transit, the records indicate.

ALSO READ: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes 'victory lap' after making GOP see red over tiny green pins...

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. ...

A thief nabbed a $3,000 check sent by a political committee led by former House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) — the latest instance in an epidemic of thefts involving political committees, according to a Raw Story review of federal campaign records.

A July 2023 check intended for a photographer was “stolen during the USPS mail process and fraudulently cashed,” according to the McCarthy Victory Fund’s year-end report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Jan. 31.

The report indicated that the committee filed a police report, and there were “no wrongdoers or bad actors within the committee.”...