January, 08 2013, 11:02am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jordan Libowitz,,jlibowitz@citizensforethics.org,.
CREW Files DOJ, FEC Complaints Against Payday Lender for Illegal Conduit Contribution to Super PAC
Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Sherry L. Huff, Carey Vaughn Brown, several companies in Mr. Brown's Internet payday lending empire, and the Republican Union PAC regarding a $1 million "conduit" contribution. Ms. Huff, an employee of Mr. Brown, appears to have made the $1 million contribution to the Republican Union PAC for Mr. Brown or one of his many companies.
Read CREW's complaints:
WASHINGTON
Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Sherry L. Huff, Carey Vaughn Brown, several companies in Mr. Brown's Internet payday lending empire, and the Republican Union PAC regarding a $1 million "conduit" contribution. Ms. Huff, an employee of Mr. Brown, appears to have made the $1 million contribution to the Republican Union PAC for Mr. Brown or one of his many companies.
Read CREW's complaints:
- Department of Justice
- Federal Election Commission
Federal law prohibits both making a contribution in the name of another person and allowing someone else to use your name to make a contribution. The willful failure to report such contributions totaling more than $25,000 in a calendar year is a felony punishable by up to five years in jail and fines.
"Between a bookkeeper with no previous history of campaign donations and an extremely wealthy long-time Republican donor, who is more likely to make a $1 million political contribution: the bookkeeper or the billionaire?" said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan.
Ms. Huff owns two modest homes in Georgia, assessed at slightly more than $125,000 in total, and for years has worked as a bookkeeper and financial officer for several companies in Mr. Brown's payday lending empire. Mr. Brown's businesses have made him rich and, unlike Ms. Huff, he frequently has donated to political candidates and parties.
Other than Ms. Huff's million dollars, the Republican Union PAC has received only one other donation in the amount of $500. The group used the money to pay for billboards attacking President Obama for supporting same-sex marriage and urging people to vote for Republicans.
"As much as it strains credulity that the first-ever political contribution by a woman of relatively modest means would be for a million dollars, it is equally hard to believe a super PAC with no other donors wouldn't know where the money came from. Further, if there is one campaign finance irregularity connected to Mr. Brown and his companies, there may well be others," continued Ms. Sloan. "Unfortunately, given its track record, we can't expect the feckless FEC to do much about this. DOJ, however, demonstrated renewed interest in criminal campaign finance cases when it unsuccessfully prosecuted former Sen. John Edwards, so perhaps the Public Integrity Section will investigate."
Read CREW's complaint to the Department of Justice
Read CREW's complaint to the Federal Election Commission
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials -- regardless of party affiliation -- who sacrifice the common good to special interests. CREW advances its mission using a combination of research, litigation and media outreach.
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Attorneys who argued against Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming healthcare at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed hope that the court's nine justices will take "the opportunity to affirm the essential freedom and equality of all people before the law," while reports indicated that the right-wing majority is inclined to uphold the ban.
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The Supreme Court case, United States v. Skrmetti, applies only to the ban on puberty blockers and hormonal therapy for minors; a lower court found the plaintiffs did not have legal standing to challenge the surgery ban.
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The court's three liberal justices—Justices Sonya Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—all indicated they believed Tennessee has tried to classify people according to sex or gender with the law.
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Chief Justice John Roberts said the nine justices should not overrule the decision made by lawmakers representing Tennessee residents, considering there is debate over the issue, and pointed to changes some European countries have made to their gender-affirming care protocols for minors.
Representing the Biden administration, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar acknowledged that there has been debate about gender-affirming care in the U.S. and abroad, but pointed out that countries including the U.K. and Sweden have not outright banned treatment.
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Prelogar asked the justices to "think about the real-world consequences of laws like S.B. 1," highlighting the case of a plaintiff identified as Ryan Roe.
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Tennessee is home to about 3,100 transgender teenagers, and about 110,000 transgender youths between the ages of 13-17 live in the 24 states where gender-affirming care is restricted.
More than 20 states have laws that could be impacted by the court's ruling in United States v. Skrmetti.
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