Jim Greer

Lawyer Predicts Greer Case Won't Go To Trial

Ryan J. Reilly | August 25, 2011, 12:22PM

Jim Greer, former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, with his wife Lisa.

A lawyer for former Florida GOP Chair Jim Greer predicted that the case against his client for allegedly defrauding and laundering money wouldn't go to trail, the Miami Herald reported.

The Florida GOP announced back in 2010 that Greer was under investigation by state officials over a $200,000 contract he awarded to himself and his executive director. But lawyer Cheney Mason -- of Casey Anthony trial fame -- said after depositions of several Florida Republican officials that he doesn't expect the case to go to trial.

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Jim Greer

Judge Seals Tell-All Of Indicted FL GOP Ex-Chair

Rachel Slajda | January 20, 2011, 11:04AM

Former Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer

When the former chair of the Republican Party of Florida was arrested and charged with grand theft and fraud, investigators seized his computers. On them, they found unfinished book manuscripts that reportedly were packed with details about former Gov. Charlie Crist, to whom the ex-chair was close, and the conservative takeover of the party.

This week, at the request of Jim Greer's lawyers, a Florida judge sealed the manuscripts until the trial.

The computer files were called "Betrayal and Vengeance" and "The Rise and Fall of the Moderate Wing of the Republican Party." Judge Marc Lubet ordered them sealed until the trial begins.

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Florida

FBI Subpoenaed More Florida GOPers In Corruption Inquiry

Ryan J. Reilly | December 6, 2010, 10:14AM

Former Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer

With their former chairmen already under indictment, the Republican Party of Florida is facing an expanding investigation with the potential to ensnare even elected officials.

Federal investigators sought documents related to the spending of two top officials in the Florida Republican Party, the Miami Herald reported. The newspaper described the latest probe as a "wide-ranging corruption probe by the FBI, IRS and U.S. Attorney's Office."

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Jim Greer

Judge Throws Out Former FL GOP Chair's Suit Against Party

Rachel Slajda | November 24, 2010, 8:30AM

Jim Greer, former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, with his wife Lisa.

A judge on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit against the Republican Party of Florida filed by its former chairman, Jim Greer, who is awaiting trial on charges that he defrauded the party out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Greer was suing the party for reneging on his $123,000 severance package, which they negotiated after the party got into hot water for loose spending but before Greer's alleged theft was discovered. The party contends that the severance package was never finalized.

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RPOF

RPOF Audit: Greer Agreed To Pay Back $7K -- But The Check Bounced

Rachel Slajda | September 20, 2010, 4:37PM

Former FL GOP Chair Jim Greer

Former Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer agreed earlier this year to pay back $7,337 in inappropriate expenses to the party. But, according to the results of an audit released by the party, the check bounced.

According to the audit, Greer's lawyer claimed in May that Greer had sent a check for the amount to the party. The check came a month later, and it bounced -- perhaps, as the audit notes, because his accounts have been frozen in connection with his federal fraud charges.

RPOF commissioned the audit from Alston & Bird LLP in the wake of spending scandals, stemming from reports of excessive spending by party leaders and eventually culminating in criminal charges against Greer, for allegedly creating a shell company to skim tens of thousands from the party.

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RPOF

Florida GOP Uses Scandal Audit To Attack Crist, Vindicate Current Leaders

Rachel Slajda | September 13, 2010, 12:39PM

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist

The Republican Party of Florida certainly knows how to make the best out of a bad situation. At its meeting this Saturday, leaders discussed a forensic audit that had just been completed after a string of scandals in which party leaders, including current GOP Senate candidate Marco Rubio, were accused of improperly using tens of thousands of dollars of party money.

The RPOF has not released the audit to the public. The party did, however, claim to reporters Saturday that the review revealed that Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican-turned-independent running for Senate against Rubio, ran up "hundreds of dollars" in bad expenses.

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Charlie Crist

Indicted Ex-Florida GOP Chair Jim Greer Asks Crist For His Money Back

Eric Lach | August 16, 2010, 1:16PM

Former FL GOP Chair Jim Greer

Jim Greer, the former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, who's now facing felony charges for grand theft, fraud and money laundering, has a small favor to ask of Charlie Crist.

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RPOF

Former FL GOP Staffer: Officials Spent On Cigars, Lobster, Birthday Parties

Rachel Slajda | July 12, 2010, 9:07AM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer

Former top officials in the Republican Party of Florida, including chair Jim Greer and executive director Delmar Johnson, spent thousands of party dollars to buy themselves fine cigars, lobster dinners, souvenirs and, in one case, a Winnie the Pooh-themed birthday party.

The former office manager for the party, who says she was fired after she voiced concerns about top officials' spending, gave details on their spending in a story published Sunday in the St. Petersburg Times.

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Jim Greer

Greer Suing Florida Republicans For $120K Severance Package

Rachel Slajda | July 8, 2010, 10:07AM

Former Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer

Former Florida GOP chair Jim Greer is, as you know, in legal hot water for allegedly using a shell company to skim money from the party -- charges to which he pleaded not guilty last week. But he's also suing the Republican Party of Florida, demanding the severance package he says was promised to him when the party ousted him in January.

Greer was pushed out in January, as the party tried to scrub its image in the wake of reports of lavish spending. Party officials negotiated a severance package with Greer. According to Greer, that agreement is a binding contract. But according to the party, the agreement was never finalized and is null and void.

The severance package offered Greer 11 months of consulting fees totaling $123,750, close to his annual salary of $130,000, plus health benefits.

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Jim Greer

Greer Pleads Not Guilty To Fraud Charges

Rachel Slajda | July 6, 2010, 9:34AM

Former Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer

Former Florida GOP Chair Jim Greer pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud on Thursday. A tentative trial date was set for Oct. 18, two weeks before Florida's Senate and gubernatorial elections.

Greer is facing six felony counts of grand theft, fraud and money laundering stemming from allegations that, as chair, he secretly awarded a party contract to his own shell company and funneled 10 percent of the party's donations to the firm. He was ousted as chair in January over charges of financial mismanagement of the party.

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Jim Greer

Greer's Defense Attorney Plans To Call Crist, McCollum To The Stand

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 5, 2010, 4:08PM

Former FL GOP Chair Jim Greer

Embattled former Florida Republican Party chair Jim Greer is ramping up his defense against fraud charges in the Sunshine State -- and he plans to enlist some of his old friends to help. At a press conference Monday, Greer's attorney, J. Cheney Mason, told reporters that he'll call past and current heavy-hitters in the Florida GOP to the stand as he defends Greer, including Gov. Charlie Crist, state Attorney General Bill McCollum and current state GOP chair John Thrasher.

According to the AP Mason told reporters that the multiple fraud charges Greer faces in state court are due to "right-wing conservatives who turned against Crist, the man who picked Greer to head the state party, and decided to punish the governor by ruining Greer".

Greer is the "victim" in the case, Mason said.

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Jim Greer

FL GOP Sexism Allegations: Party Chair Talked 'Orgasms' To Female Fundraiser

Justin Elliott | July 2, 2010, 2:32PM

Jim Greer, former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, with his wife Lisa.

Police documents released this week in the Jim Greer alleged fraud case make the Republican Party of Florida out to be a fairly ugly, sexist place to work.

A while back, we noted the allegation that Greer became jealous of Meredith O'Rourke, a top fundraiser for Gov. Charlie Crist, after Greer became FL GOP chair in 2007 and saw she O'Rourke making $30,000 per month in fundraising fees. Greer allegedly tried to convince her to give him a share of her profits, and, when she refused, he cut off her access to Crist.

The new documents include a police summary of investigators' interview with O'Rourke in which she describes Greer making "inappropriate sexually related comments in her presence."

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Jim Greer

Docs Detail Scandal Within Florida GOP Including Hooker Allegation

Justin Elliott | July 1, 2010, 4:23PM

Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL) and former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer

Prosecutors Wednesday released hundreds of pages of documents of evidence in the fraud case against former Florida GOP chair Jim Greer.

A couple highlights:

According to a female party official who spoke to investigators, Greer organized a men-only trip to the Bahamas with major donors and "women were involved and paid." Gov. Charlie Crist, who was on the same trip and hand-picked Greer for the top GOP job in 2007, said today that the charge there were escorts or other paid women involved is "absurdly false."

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Florida Republican Party

Crist Friend Paid Greer $10,000 Per Month For 'Business Consulting'

Justin Elliott | June 7, 2010, 2:30PM

Jim Greer and Harry Sargeant (inset)

One of the most eye-popping recent revelations about former Florida GOP chair Jim Greer is that, when he was struggling with money problems, one generous Republican donor ponied up $10,000 per month for over 18 months to help Greer out, according to the criminal fraud charges against Greer.

But the story just got even better: none other than Palm Beach County businessman Harry Sargeant, who has been popping up as a player in political scandals since John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, has acknowledged to the Miami Herald that he is the donor who stepped in to give Greer a hand. Sargeant is a friend of Gov. Charlie Crist and a former state GOP official.

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Florida Republican Party

Greer Claim: Crist OKed Allegedly Criminal Fundraising Setup

Justin Elliott | June 7, 2010, 10:50AM

Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL) and former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer

The attorney for former Florida GOP chief Jim Greer is asserting that Gov. Charlie Crist personally approved a fundraising arrangement under which a Greer company got a cut of donations to the party -- which is now the subject of criminal fraud charges against Greer.

The Miami Herald has the story:

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Jim Greer

Report: Anonymous Letter Led To Jim Greer's Arrest

Eric Lach | June 3, 2010, 6:34PM

Former Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer

A mysterious letter mailed to a 76-year-old retiree in Fort Myers, Florida led to the eventual indictment of former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer, according to the The Florida Independent.

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Florida Republican Party

The Greer Charges And What They Mean For The FL Senate Race

Justin Elliott | June 2, 2010, 5:18PM

Former FL GOP Chair Jim Greer

The arrest of Jim Greer today marks the culmination of a year long scandal at the Florida Republican party that began with revelations of personal spending sprees on party credit cards and has now escalated to criminal charges of fraud and grand theft.

Greer, who spent three years as chair of the Florida GOP after being handpicked for the slot by Gov. Charlie Crist in 2007, allegedly skimmed 10% of GOP fundraising revenue for his own shell company, which had been secretly awarded a party contract by Greer. He was ousted from the party in January amid charges of financial mismanagement.

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Florida Republican Party

FLASHBACK: Greer Made Big Show Of Cutting Up His AmEx Card (It Wasn't His)

Justin Elliott | June 2, 2010, 1:35PM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer cutting up an AmEx card on August 22, 2009

In August 2009, with a burgeoning spending scandal already producing damaging headlines for the Florida Republican Party, state GOP chair Jim Greer appeared before a quarterly party meeting in Orlando and made a show of taking out a pair of scissors and cutting up his party-issued American Express card.

Except, we learn today in the arrest affidavit for Greer, it was not Greer's card at all -- and party staff had to scramble to stop the media from seeing the cut card.

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Florida Republican Party

Allegation: Greer Used Access To Crist To Shake Down Top GOP Fundraiser

Justin Elliott | June 2, 2010, 12:41PM

Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL) and former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer

TPMmuckraker is digging into the arrest affidavit for former Florida GOP chair Jim Greer and here's the first good nugget: Greer allegedly tried to strong-arm a professional fundraiser for the state GOP into giving him a percent of her earnings -- and when she refused, he cut off her access to his close ally Gov. Charlie Crist.

A veteran professional fundraiser who had worked for Crist's campaign, Meredith O'Rourke was on a $30,000-per-month contract with the state party. Greer approached her a few months after his election as chair in 2007 and "stated to her that he realized there was a lot of money to be made in political fundraising," the affidavit alleges. It continues:

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Jim Greer

Greer Charged With Fraud, Grand Theft Over 'Shell' Fundraising Company

Justin Elliott | June 2, 2010, 11:53AM

Former Florida GOP chair Jim Greer is charged with six felony counts of fraud, theft, and money laundering in connection with a company he allegedly created to take a cut of the state party's fundraising revenues, Florida authorities announced this morning.

At a news conference moments ago, Statewide Prosecutor William Shepherd charged that the money gained by the company was "used by Mr. Greer to support his own personal lifestyle."

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Jim Greer

Former FL GOP Chair Arrested

Ben Frumin | June 2, 2010, 10:22AM

Former Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer was arrested this morning and charged with grand theft, attempt to defraud, and money laundering the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Greer -- a close ally of Gov. Charlie Crist -- was reported to be under criminal investigation for a contract worth around $200,000 that he awarded to himself and the state party's executive director. The Florida Republican Party revealed the news in March, saying it had uncovered the contract in the course of its annual financial audit, and referred the matter to authorities.

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Florida Republican Party

Fmr. FL GOP Official: Forensic Audit Of Party Books Will Show Widespread Cronyism

Justin Elliott | April 29, 2010, 1:57PM

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer

Forensic auditors going through the books of the Florida Republican Party recently discovered that a close friend of Gov. Charlie Crist was paid over $350,000 for unspecified consulting work that no one seems to have known about. But, the former No. 2 at the state party tells TPMmuckraker, that revelation may be only the beginning.

"I think there were a lot of cronies that were receiving pay washed through the Republican Party of Florida," says Allen Cox, who stepped down as vice chair of the party in January after going after chairman and Crist ally Jim Greer, who was ousted soon after, for financial mismanagement.

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Florida Republican Party

Crist Switch Puts GOP Spending Scandals At Center Of Florida Race

Justin Elliott | April 29, 2010, 9:09AM

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio

With the expected news that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is opting to run for Senate as an independent, the general election is set to have two major candidates -- Crist and presumptive GOP nominee Marco Rubio -- tarred by the wide-ranging spending scandal that is rocking the state Republican Party.

The scandal -- in which GOP officials are accused of spending party money on lavish personal expenses along with other financial malfeasance -- is tailor-made for attacks ads come the general election season, which is shaping up to be a three-way contest among Crist, Rubio, and likely Democratic nominee Rep. Kendrick Meek.

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Florida Republican Party

Report: Feds Eyeing Crist Role In Probe Of Florida GOP Spending

Justin Elliott | April 22, 2010, 10:05AM

Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R)

Earlier this week we learned that federal authorities are investigating Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio. Now, the St. Petersburg Times reports that investigators are interested in the role of Rubio's opponent, Gov. Charlie Crist, in the seemingly ever-expanding scandal over lavish spending at the state GOP.

The paper, which has been on a roll with this story, talked to a GOP fundraiser named Al Hoffman, who says he was interview by the FBI last month:

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Jim Greer

Witness: To Appear Important, Ex-FL GOP Chair Had Blank Notes Brought To Him In Meetings

Zachary Roth | April 19, 2010, 12:36PM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer

Looking for a quick and easy way to impress people without actually doing any work? Take a lesson from Jim Greer.

Near the end of a profile of the former Florida GOP chair and Charlie Crist buddy -- who recently stepped down amid a spending scandal, and now is the subject of a criminal investigation for a contract awarded to himself and his executive director -- the Orlando Sentinel reports:

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Jim Greer

Florida GOP Gone Wild: Donor Money Used As Slush Fund?

Justin Elliott | April 1, 2010, 1:25PM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Over the past year, we've seen example after example of Florida GOP leaders using party credit cards for lavish personal spending -- from an $839 Starbucks bill to a $134 haircut and, now, a new allegation that the party chair used official funds to enrich himself.

Yesterday, we passed along the news that former FL GOP chair Jim Greer is under criminal investigation for allegedly awarding himself a lucrative party fundraising contract.

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Jim Greer

FL GOP: Our Former Chair Is Under Criminal Investigation

Zachary Roth | March 31, 2010, 2:07PM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer

The former chair of the Florida GOP -- a close ally of Gov. Charlie Crist -- is said to be under criminal investigation for a contract worth around $200,000 that he awarded to himself and his executive director. The news was revealed today by the state party, which says it uncovered the contract in the course of its annual financial audit, and referred the matter to authorities.

Jim Greer was appointed to run the state GOP by Crist in 2007, but was forced out of the job in January, after reports of lavish party spending, much of which went on the credit card of the party's executive director, Delmar Johnson.

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Marco Rubio

Is Rubio Leak Political Payback?

Zachary Roth | February 25, 2010, 11:05AM

Former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL)

Leaked documents showing that Marco Rubio charged computer supplies, groceries, and products from a music equipment store and a wine store, among other items, to the Florida GOP may represent the first major bump in the road for the U.S. Senate candidate and conservative darling. But was the leak an act of political payback?

In a letter to the state party chair, Rubio accused former party chair Jim Greer -- a close ally of Rubio's rival, Gov. Charlie Crist -- of being behind the leak. "It is clear these internal documents were taken from the RPOF by former Chairman Jim Greer, or someone working for him, and were leaked to the media by the Crist Campaign," Rubio wrote, calling the leak, "an appalling act of political desperation."

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