http://www.ocregister.com/news/durkee-315349-campaign-county.html

Quote :

"SACRAMENTO – A prominent Democratic campaign treasurer who works for federal, state and O.C. lawmakers including U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Loretta Sanchez and state legislators Lou Correa and Jose Solorio has been arrested by the FBI on suspicion of mail fraud, The Orange County Register has learned. U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Thom Mrozek confirmed Saturday afternoon that Kinde Durkee of Burbank-based Durkee and Associates, was arrested by the FBI on a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento. Special Agent Steve Dupre of the bureau’s Sacramento office said she was arrested in connection with her position as a campaign treasurer. State Sen. Lou Correa told the Register on Saturday afternoon that he was called by the FBI late Friday night and told that Durkee had been arrested and that he is a likely victim along with “many, many other victims.” The Santa Ana Democrat said he believes he has lost “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in campaign funds. “This is clearly a sense of betrayal of someone I have trusted for a number of years,” said Correa, who has used Durkee as his campaign treasurer since 1995. “This is a punch straight to the gut.” Federal Election Commission records show that Durkee is the treasurer for Feinstein and Sanchez, who could not be reached Saturday. California Secretary of State records show she currently serves as the treasurer for at least 113 state-level committees. Those committees include campaign accounts for Solorio, D-Santa Ana; Assemblymen Gilbert Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, and Roger Hernandez, D-Baldwin Park; State Sens. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance and Curren Price, D-Los Angeles; Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian; and former Orange County lawmaker Tom Umberg. Durkee also oversaw the political-action committees of the Democratic Party of Orange County and the Democratic Foundation of Orange County, among others. Durkee and Associates says on its website: “Since 1972 we have worked for 5 presidential campaigns, 4 gubernatorial campaigns, numerous senate, congressional, state and local candidates, initiatives, political action committees and many non-profit associates and small businesses.” Durkee has had enforcement actions taken against her four times by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, primarily for failing to report transactions or information. She has also received at least a half a dozen enforcement warning letters from the commission and stipulated to a violation before the City of San Diego Ethics Commission. Mrozek said in an email that he expects Durkee to make her initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon, most likely in Santa Ana, but he won’t know for certain until Tuesday morning."

Wow...that emboldened part is pretty ridiculous, considering how many politicians have hired them.

NM...makes perfect sense.

9/4/2011 7:30:41 PM

When are you going to figure out the soap box? Do you understand the purpose of this section? Any particular reason this couldn't go in the lib credibility thread?

9/4/2011 7:43:44 PM

paging pryderi...

9/4/2011 7:52:17 PM

Quote :

"When are you going to figure out the soap box? Do you understand the purpose of this section? Any particular reason this couldn't go in the lib credibility thread?"

Chance, I think I had TSB figured out before you could legally drive a motor vehicle by yourself, but thanks for the advice.

9/4/2011 8:25:04 PM

Um, as best as I can figure, he's been posting on this website for 2 days longer than you have.

9/4/2011 9:25:29 PM

*slaps forehead

9/4/2011 9:32:25 PM

now try again, but this time use a hammer.

9/5/2011 9:43:11 AM

its more evidence: they are corrupt. they are breaking the law. they want to get rid of us who oppose their horrible plots. let us end the democrats.

9/6/2011 11:44:27 AM

Sorry...trying to figure out the whole "2 years longer" than me.

9/6/2011 6:10:32 PM

chance isn't his first tww name, adam.

[Edited on September 6, 2011 at 6:27 PM. Reason : ]

9/6/2011 6:27:50 PM

WELL WHO THE HECK WOULD HAVE TWO TWW NAMES?!

ISN'T ONE ENOUGH???

9/6/2011 6:53:18 PM

Another related story:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/13/california-congresswoman-says-treasurer-robbed-campaign/

Quote :

"California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is the latest lawmaker claiming to have been looted of campaign cash by a Democratic treasurer who's been likened to Bernie Madoff. Feinstein's campaign, which had a cash balance of $5 million on June 30, believes it suffered losses but does not know how extensive they were, according to campaign adviser Bill Carrick. The campaign is blaming Kinde Durkee, who managed the senator's finances for years along with the accounts of several other top California politicians. Durkee was arrested and hit with fraud charges earlier this month. U.S. Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., told her contributors in a letter released Monday that her campaign was robbed of about $250,000. Feinstein's office said the senator was "wiped out" along with the other lawmakers, according to the Los Angeles Times. Carrick said Durkee commingled clients' funds, making it difficult to understand whose money went where. "This is an extraordinarily complex situation," Carrick said. "Nobody really knows what happened here." Durkee had authority over more than 400 bank accounts, including political campaigns, according to the federal complaint filed earlier this month. The complaint said investigators found substantial sums were routinely placed into her company accounts or channeled to other campaigns, apparently when suspicions were raised about missing money. Davis told supporters that reports to the Federal Election Commission accurately reflected her contributions and spending, but Durkee falsely reported account balances to the campaign. Davis tallied her losses at more than $250,000. "As this scandal emerges, she may well become known as the Bernie Madoff of campaign finance treasurers," the San Diego Democrat wrote, referring to the Wall Street swindler in the email. Davis, a six-term congresswoman in a heavily Democratic district, sought to reassure supporters in her email dated Saturday and released Monday. Federal prosecutors say Durkee siphoned off nearly $700,000 from a California candidate to pay her credit cards, a mortgage and business bills. A complaint outlines an elaborate shell game in which Durkee furtively shifted money out of state Assemblyman Jose Solorio's 2010 campaign to pay for an array of debts, from shopping at Costco to her mother's care at an assisted-living facility. Lauren Horwood, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento, said more charges are likely. "

Pretty jacked up, if you ask me.

I'm sure someone is going to make a crack how this is analogous to the corruption of a large centralized government who has control of our money, so let me be the first.

9/13/2011 2:18:37 PM

MOST IMPORTANT THREAD

9/15/2011 8:29:52 AM