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Fraud alert: Thieves just stole big money from a dozen politicians and political committees

Illustration of a hacker getting out of a smartphone app
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) may be one of the most powerful members of Congress. But even he is not immune from thieves who’ve been raiding the accounts of politicians and political committees with near-impunity.

Thune’s leadership political action committee, Heartland Values PAC, lost $5,949 in a “check fraud” incident on Nov. 1, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Thune’s office did not respond to a series of questions, but a source familiar with the theft confirmed the incident to OpenSecrets, adding: “The activity was quickly identified and reported, and it remains under investigation.”

Meanwhile, two-term Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Utah) had a rough December. Her campaign disclosed 14 separate “fraudulent” debit card charges between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9, involving payments to Uber Eats and Facebook.

Total damage: about $600.

Pettersen’s congressional office did not respond to several emails and phone calls, but in a filing with the FEC, the Brittany Pettersen for Colorado campaign committee indicated that its bank refunded the charges.

Thune and Pettersen are among more than a dozen elected leaders and federal political committees — conservative and liberal — that have lost three-, four- or five-figure sums from their campaign accounts because of theft, fraud, embezzlement, unauthorized charges or other financial shenanigans, according to an OpenSecrets analysis of federal campaign finance records filed since the November election.

These incidents add to dozens of other thefts this decade from political committees small and large, including those led by national parties, notable corporations, powerful lawmakers and even a president. 

The stolen money — sometimes recovered, often not — has collectively soared into the millions of dollars. 

And while that represents just a small fraction of the overall amount spent on federal elections — the 2024 federal election cost more than $15.9 billion, according to an OpenSecrets analysis — the thefts hurt both the political committees themselves as well as donors, whose contributions ultimately pay for pilfered items ranging from luxury goods to Uber rides, not political advocacy.

Rep. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.) has long crusaded for improved U.S. Postal Service delivery standards, including defending against a rash of check thefts from mail boxes and facilities.

“This is a growing issue nationwide and it must be fixed,” Dunn told the Tallahassee Democrat last year. The lawmaker later blasted the “substandard safety, security, and maintenance” of postal facilities in his Florida Panhandle district.

But Dunn’s own congressional campaign reported losing $12,090 across three different check theft incidents during late October and early November — after having lost nearly $11,000 in a separate theft incident in late 2022.

Friends of Neal Dunn “was victimized by an external check fraud situation” and “the committee immediately notified the bank of the fraud and froze the account,” treasurer Caleb Crosby acknowledged in a letter to the FEC on Feb. 6. 

Some, but not all of the funds have been recovered, Dunn’s committee told the FEC. His congressional office declined to comment, and Crosby did not return requests for comment.

Check fraud also caused the Tarrant County (Texas) Republican Victory Fund PAC to lose $6,980 in late November, federal records indicate.

Fred Tate, treasurer for the county GOP, described the incident as “old school” check swiping via the U.S. mail, where an unknown “bad actor” changed the recipient’s name, altered the $980 check to read $6,980 — and then cashed it.

The committee reported the incident to police in Fort Worth, Texas, but an “officer called me after the report was filed and advised they had no suspects, and they said it would be hard to find the perpetrator,” Tate told OpenSecrets. The committee did get its money back, however, as its bank refunded the lost money from the altered check, “as they never should have cashed it,” Tate said.

U.S. Postal Service spokesperson Martha Johnson acknowledged OpenSecrets’ request for comment, but the Postal Service did not otherwise respond to questions sent by email.

A crime wave

Over at the National Republican Congressional Committee, someone used the committee’s credit card late last year for a luxury shopping spree, spending $1,475 at Canada Goose and $950 at Fendi. An NRCC official confirmed the committee disputed the charges with its credit card company and received a refund.

“The NRCC takes pride in being a responsible steward of donor support. This incident proves that our systems work, and we’ll continue to ensure every dollar is spent wisely, securely and with purpose,” NRCC spokesperson Emily Tuttle said in a statement to OpenSecrets.

Indiana state Sen. Andy Zay (R), who lost a 2024 U.S. House primary, reported losing $297 on Dec. 30 through “fraudulent” charges, with the money being spent on TikTok-related purchases, according to federal records. Zay’s committee did not respond to requests for comment.

Other federal political committees that have recently reported incidents of theft and fraud to the FEC included CNX Resources Corporation Political Action Committee ($2,398.99 stolen), the Washington State Republican Party ($999 stolen), the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Political Action Together Politica Committee ($300 stolen).

The Mason Tenders District Council of New York and Long Island PAC reported several “fraudulent” charges in February from a “stolen” American Express card that totaled $871.68. The thief used the stolen money to make Amazon purchases, as well as a $199 purchase from Clear — the airport security identification company — and a $180.08 purchase at a Japanese restaurant. 

The same labor PAC also lost $4,308.84 when someone made 29 fraudulent Venmo and Uber transactions over a seven-week period in 2023, Raw Story reported. 

None of these committees responded to requests for comment.

During the past several years, numerous other high-profile politicians and political committees have grappled with campaign account theft and misappropriations. 

They include former President Joe Biden, rapper and former presidential candidate Kanye West, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Virginia Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Democratic House member turned Trump Cabinet official Tulsi Gabbard and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Also hit by the financial crime wave: The Republican National Committee, Wisconsin Republican Party, Oregon Republican Party, anti-Donald Trump super PAC Lincoln Project and the pro-Democrat Retired Americans PAC.

Other theft victims include the PACs of Google, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Humane Society, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, National Corn Growers Association and State Farm Insurance.

How to play defense

What is a political committee to do to defend against fraud?

Some political committees materialize quickly and lack proper internal controls, quality financial safety practices and experienced accounting staffers, said Morris Pearl, chairman of Patriotic Millionaires, a coalition of wealthy Americans that advocates for campaign finance reforms.

“It probably makes them an attractive opportunity for thieves,” Pearl said.

The Department of Homeland Security provides campaigns with a cybersecurity checklist, as “political campaigns are facing cyber-attacks of varied sophistication.”

The FEC also provides guidance on what to do if a theft, misappropriation or embezzlement is discovered. 

FEC spokesman Myles Martin noted that the commission has for years maintained a “safe harbor provision” that shields political committees from civil penalties if they misreport their campaign finance income and spending after they experience a theft or internal misappropriation by staffers. 

Dunn’s committee, for one, decided to enroll in a “positive pay” program with its bank, “allowing the committee to proactively monitor and verify the legitimacy of checks issued,” Crosby told the FEC.

Tate, of the Tarrant County Republican Party, said his committee’s existing accounting procedures “were validated as the fraud was discovered fast and actioned accordingly.”

In at least one recent case, an apparent theft didn’t turn out to be quite what it seemed.

The Democratic State Central Committee of Maryland spotted an “unauthorized transaction” in January for $224.32.

But it turned out to be an errant charge from the committee’s cable internet provider, Comcast, not a case of fraud. Comcast quickly reversed the charge when the committee contacted customer service, said Joe Francaviglia, the party’s deputy executive director.

“In the end,” Francaviglia told OpenSecrets, “all was well.”

The rundown

In addition to those already mentioned, many other elected officials have been hit by these kinds of crimes, including:

Additional victims include the PACs of: 

Dave Levinthal is a Washington, D.C.-based investigative journalist. He served as OpenSecrets’ editorial and communications director from 2009 to 2011.

This post was originally published on Original Journalism from OpenSecrets News.