Bobby Thompson

Accomplice Of 'Bobby Thompson' Arraigned In Alleged Charity Scam

Johanna Barr | October 27, 2010, 4:19PM

"Bobby Thompson" and George W. Bush

The Ohio Attorney General's office announced today that Blanca Contreras, an associate of the alleged charity scammer and GOP donor known as "Bobby Thompson," had been arraigned after being extradited from North Carolina. She pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering, money laundering, and aggravated theft. Bond was set at $2 million.

Contreras served as the acting treasurer for U.S. Navy Veterans Association, a fraudulent charity that Thompson allegedly operated from 2003 to 2010.

Read more »

Bobby Thompson

Charity Scammer Allegedly Used Fake Names To Donate $$ To GOP Candidates

Rachel Slajda and Johanna Barr | October 21, 2010, 8:43AM

"Bobby Thompson" and George W. Bush

"Bobby Thompson" isn't the only fake identity associated with the charity scammer / GOP donor who was indicted last week in Ohio. Thompson -- whose true identity is unknown -- also made up a dozen fake names, then allegedly took out money orders in those names so he could make donations to political candidates.

According to the Ohio attorney general's office, Thompson wrote at least 11 money orders using the names of people who apparently don't exist, along with addresses associated with his fake charity, U.S. Navy Veterans Association. He used the fake names to give $376 to Florida attorney general Bill McCollum in 2006, $2,260 to Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign in 2008 and $500 to Marty Seifert, a former Minnesota state house representative who unsuccessfully ran for governor this year.

Read more »

Orly Taitz

Republican Jewish Coalition Hosts Birther Taitz As 'Special Guest' At Annual Bash

Justin Elliott | June 7, 2010, 6:20PM

Orly Taitz

Witness the mainstreaming of Orly Taitz?

The longtime Birther agitator and dentist who is now running for the GOP secretary of state nomination in California was a "special guest" of the Republican Jewish Coalition at the group's "annual summer bash" at the Beverly Hills Hilton Sunday. Also in attendance: GOP heavyweights Karl Rove, former Senator Norm Coleman, and California Senate candidates Chuck DeVore and Carly Fiorina.

Read more »

Tea Party Nation

Tea Party Nation Speaks Out: 'We Never Did This To Be Rich And Famous'

Christina Bellantoni | January 30, 2010, 5:49PM

At a tea party in Washington, D.C. in 2009

Tea Party Nation organizers today issued a long defense of their unraveling convention, lambasting former members they say are trying to harm the movement and outlining for the first time in great detail their event's sponsorships and problems.

We've been following the travails of the upcoming Tea Party Nation convention for weeks, with key speakers withdrawing and the Tea Party Express group backing out as well thanks to feuds over the cost and expected profits of the convention.

Sherry Phillips wrote a long email to members of the Tea Party Nation mailing list titled "Setting The Record Straight."

Phillips said organizers were encouraged to speak out against the "intense media scrutiny and attacks by former members" but she stayed silent so as not to further divisions "that are already hurting this movement."

"We will stay silent no longer," she wrote.

Read more »

Bill Sparkman

Census Worker Found Dead In Kentucky -- What Do We Know?

Zachary Roth | September 24, 2009, 2:54PM

Over the last 24 hours, we've been tracking a gruesome story developing involving the death of a Kentucky Census Bureau worker. The potential political implications of what happened are already generating a lot of attention around the internet -- so it's worth taking a moment to lay out what we know.

On September 12th, the body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year old part-time Census worker and teacher was found in a remote area of the Daniel Boone National Forest, in Clay County, in rural southeast Kentucky. Sparkman reportedly had died on the morning of the day before.

Read more »