Top Cuccinelli Contributor's Mysterious 'Charity' Under Scrutiny

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: TPMMuckraker

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.
....

In 2009, Thompson gave $78,375 to Cuccinelli, making him the second largest individual contributor to the future AG, according to the St. Petersburg Times. A $50,000 contribution came after Cuccinelli directly solicited him by phone last August. Cuccinelli told the Roanoke Times last week that Thompson, who lived until recently near Tampa, Florida, was interested in "making sure veterans were taken care of" -- an issue the candidate had been raising in his campaign -- and that "there was nothing that raised a red flag."

Aside from a shared staunch conservatism, it's not clear exactly why Thompson contributed so much to an out-of-state candidate for attorney general. But he did have a legislative priority he was interested in. Earlier this year, USNVA, with the help of a veteran GOP lobbyist, convinced a state lawmaker, Democrat Patsy Ticer, to introduce a bill that would exempt veterans' charities from having to formally register with the state before raising money.
....

But a few weeks later, the St. Petersburg Times produced a lengthy and detailed two-part series of investigative reports on Thompson and USNVA. We'll get to just what the stories revealed. But first it's worth following what happened in Virginia.

Read more: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/top_cuccinelli_contributors_mysterious_charity_bei.php?ref=mp

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Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. I can see the Pulitzer Prize submission now.

Let the chips fall where they may.

[SoapBox]

1. Funny how, the "holier" and more "pious" they are...the more they have to hide.

Rent Boy, renter guy? Just one example of many!

[ShortnFiery]

2. Tis True. It would be excellent to shed this Attorney General since we're stuck with

Bob McDonnell (VA) for four years. Having both these right wing-nuts in our State Government is almost too much to ask of our liberal citizens. :silly: :(

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Virginia Democrats call on Cuccinelli to give away donation from group under scrutiny

Virginia Democrats call on Cuccinelli to give away donation from group under scrutiny

By Rosalind S. Helderman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 18, 2010

RICHMOND -- Democrats called on Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R) on Monday to give away more than $55,000 in campaign contributions he received from a man who served as director of a charitable organization that is now under scrutiny by officials in three states and that led an effort to loosen laws governing charity registration in Virginia this year.

The Democrats' calls came on the day that Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) said he would give an established veterans charity a $5,000 contribution he had received from Bobby Thompson, who until last fall was director of the U.S. Navy Veterans Association.

Virginia state Sen. Patricia S. Ticer (D-Alexandria) said she would also give away a $1,000 donation she had received from Thompson. As first reported by the Roanoke Times, Ticer sponsored a bill this year at the request of a Washington lawyer and a Virginia lobbyist representing the association that would allow veterans organizations, unlike other charities, to solicit donations without annually registering with the Virginia consumer affairs department or filing financial reports with the state agency.

After the General Assembly unanimously passed the bill, Ticer said, she became suspicious of the group when she was forwarded a report by the St. Petersburg Times. After a six-month investigation, the newspaper reported in March that it had been unable to locate 84 of the 85 national and state directors listed for the organization, despite extensive searches of public records.

It's beginning to look as if Bobby Thompson is a con artist. He's nonpartisan about it, as the most successful con artists need to be. All we can do is pick up that pieces and move on, knowing to be more vigilant next time.