Bobby Thompson

Even Behind Bars, Infamous Scammer's Identity Remains A Mystery

Eric Lach | May 14, 2012, 4:54AM

On the last day of April, after a nationwide search that lasted almost two years, law enforcement officials from Ohio finally nabbed "Bobby Thompson," one of America's most-wanted fugitives, a man suspected of stealing millions from the U.S. Navy Veterans Association, a charity whose stated mission was to help veterans and members of the U.S. armed forces. But even now that he's behind bars, awaiting trial on a host of charges, no one knows who Bobby Thompson really is.

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Topics: Bobby Thompson, George Bush, John Boehner, John McCain, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Navy Veterans Association

Bobby Thompson

Political Consultant On Charity Scammer Bobby Thompson: 'Everyone Thought He Was A Generous Guy'

Rachel Slajda | November 9, 2010, 11:11AM

A Florida political consultant who often delivered contribution checks for alleged fake charity scammer Bobby Thompson said no one would have guessed that the U.S. Navy Veterans Association was a scam.

"At the time, everybody thought he was a generous guy, a big donor,'' the consultant, Barry Edwards, told the St. Petersburg Times. "It looked like he ran a huge enterprise for veterans."

The Times yesterday talked to some former associates of "Bobby Thompson," the fake charity scammer who allegedly used ostensible donations for Navy veterans to fill his pockets and contribute money to Republican political campaigns.

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Topics: Bobby Thompson, Karl Rove, U.S. Navy Veterans Association

Bobby Thompson

Accomplice Of 'Bobby Thompson' Arraigned In Alleged Charity Scam

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

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.

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Topics: Blanca Contreras, Bob McDonnell, Bobby Thompson, George Bush, John Boehner, John McCain, Ken Cuccinelli, Michelle Bachmann, Rudy Giuliani, U.S. Navy Veterans Association

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" 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.

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Topics: Bill McCollum, Bobby Thompson, George Bush, John Boehner, John McCain, Ken Cuccinelli, Michelle Bachmann, NRSC, Rudy Giuliani, U.S. Navy Veterans Association

Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli Still Won't Give Fake Vets Group Donations To Real Veterans

Megan Carpentier | June 18, 2010, 2:10PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) took $55,000 in campaign contributions from the U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA) founder Bobby Thompson before it was revealed that the USNVA was quite possibly a scam that existed solely for the personal enrichment of one Bobby Thompson. After his fellow state Republicans discovered it, they hastily turned around and gave the tainted donations to actual non-profits that help individual veterans. Not Cuccinelli, though: he insisted on keeping them even as he told reporters that he also would not be initiating any investigation into Thompson or USNVA.

Responding to pressure today, Cuccinelli announced a slight change of plans. Taking a page from BP, he deposited $55,000 of his campaign war chest into an escrow account pending the outcome of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' investigation into the charity.

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Topics: Ken Cuccinelli, U.S. Navy Veterans Association, Virginia

Ken Cuccinelli

Pressure Growing On Cuccinelli To Return Apparent Scamster's Dough

Zachary Roth | May 21, 2010, 6:08PM

Has Ken Cuccinelli miscalculated by standing on principle -- what principle that is, we're not too sure -- in refusing to give up donations from an apparent scam artist?

To recap: The second largest individual contributor to Cuccinelli's campaign for Virginia attorney general last year was Bobby Thompson, a Florida man who is the founder of the U.S. Navy Veterans Association, and who donated $55,500 to Cuccinelli.

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Topics: Bob McDonnell, Bobby Thompson, Ken Cuccinelli, U.S. Navy Veterans Association

Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli Won't Give Up Money From Founder Of Alleged Scam Charity -- Also Not Eager To Investigate

Zachary Roth | May 18, 2010, 11:08AM

Ken Cuccinelli says he has no plans to return contributions from a major backer whose veterans' charity is being probed in several states after a lengthy investigative report made it out to be a scam. The Virginia attorney general's office also doesn't sound eager to launch its own investigation of the charity.

Gov. Bob McDonnell's office said yesterday that it would donate to a legitimate veterans' charity the $5000 that McDonnell received last year from U.S. Navy Veterans Association founder Bobby Thompson. That move came in response to a series of stories in the St. Petersburg Times, which raised numerous red flags about USNVA, which claims to offer aid to navy veterans and raises money through phone solicitations. The stories revealed among other things that 84 of the group's 85 listed officers -- everyone but Thompson -- could not be located, and that USNVA refused to offer any documentation of its finances. The group is now being investigated by authorities in New Mexico, Missouri, and Florida, where it's based. Giving up the money is "the right thing to do," according to a McDonnell spokeswoman.

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Topics: Bob McDonnell, Bobby Thompson, Fundraising, Global Warming, Ken Cuccinelli, U.S. Navy Veterans Association

Ken Cuccinelli

Top Cuccinelli Contributor's Mysterious 'Charity' Under Scrutiny

Zachary Roth | May 17, 2010, 12:07PM

A major backer of Ken Cuccinelli is being probed in several states for running a charity that a lengthy newspaper investigation suggests may be an elaborate and long-running fraud.

There's no evidence that Cuccinelli, now the attorney general of Virginia, was aware there was anything untoward about Bobby Thompson or his charity, the U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA), which says it offers assistance to navy veterans. Still, the news has forced the ambitious AG -- whose reputation for rectitude is a key part of his appeal to conservatives -- to answer some awkward questions. And the full story of what happened in Virginia suggests how easily one state government may have been taken in by a noble-sounding cause and a some well-timed campaign contributions.

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Topics: Bob McDonnell, Bobby Thompson, Fundraising, Ken Cuccinelli, U.S. Navy Veterans Association