GOP chief arrested in secret siphoning of cash

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/02/1660847/gop-chief-arrested-in-secret-siphoning.html

Posted on Wednesday, 06.02.10

The former chairman of the Florida Republican Party was arrested and charged with secretly diverting party funds to enrich himself.

BY MARC CAPUTO AND JOHN FRANK
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau

Jim Austin Greer needed money.

With his personal bank account overdrawn by an average of $10,000 a month for much of last year, prosecutors say, the Republican Party of Florida chairman plotted to get his hands on some of the millions in special-interest cash flooding the party.

The scheme: set up a ``shell company'' called Victory Strategies LLC to secretly divert party fundraising money to himself, according to state prosecutors. He, along with the party's executive director, Delmar W. Johnson III, then made sure no one else knew about it.

But Johnson struck a deal with prosecutors and told them everything.

Greer, 47, was arrested Wednesday morning at his Oviedo home and charged on six felony counts of theft, money laundering and orchestrating a scheme to defraud. He faces a maximum 30 years in prison for money laundering and fraud charges, and a maximum five-year sentence for theft charges.

[Turbineguy]

1. And then there's the question:

Is stealing from the GOP really a crime?

[ThomWV]

2. Kick to the top for damned good visibility.

[badgerpup]

3. Indeed, kick (and R) n/t

:kick: