Use RICO on ACORN
By Examiner Editorial
- 10/16/08
The Justice Department’s indictment in 2005 of the Milberg Weiss class-action securities law firm under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) did not involve charges of mob involvement. Ultimately, the firm plea bargained and several of its senior partners now reside in federal prisons. Likewise, ACORN’s repeated abuses don’t include mafia links, but the pattern matches the organized criminal conduct RICO was passed to combat. If prosecutors don’t know where to start their investigation, here are four suggestions:
Indiana: In Indianapolis and surrounding Marion County, where ACORN has been active and early voting is allowed, the number of voter registrations exceeded the over-18 population by 5 percent.
Nevada: The secretary of state and attorney general, both Democrats, raided ACORN’s Las Vegas office last week, seizing eight computers and 20 boxes of documents. The search warrant alleges that 59 felons ACORN hired to register voters submitted hundreds of phony registrations – including the starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys.
Ohio: A 19-year-old Cleveland man told reporters that he signed 73 ACORN voter registration cards over a five-month period in exchange for cigarettes and cash. In Franklin County, 3,700 people who were registered by ACORN listed a vacant building as their home address.
Missouri: In April, eight ACORN workers in St. Louis pleaded guilty to charges of federal election fraud during the 2006 election. This year, election officials in Jackson County found fake addresses and Social Security numbers on hundreds of ACORN-submitted registrations. In Kansas City, “Monica Ray” was registered 20 times.
ACORN officials recently admitted in a media conference call that their quality control process is “not perfect,” and they routinely claim that abuses are isolated incidents. That rationalization might have sounded reasonable when abuses were found in only a few states, but it strains credulity when serious questions arise in 15, including key battleground states. This is especially true in light of the fact ACORN has endorsed Barack Obama and the vast majority of its new registrants are Democrats Obama, whose campaign paid an ACORN subsidiary $800,000 to register new voters, has downplayed concerns about voter fraud, calling them a “distraction” from the issues. Stuffing the ballot box isn’t a distraction, it’s a felony. And it’s time the Justice Department did something about it.
25 Comments
Reader Comments:
POSTED Oct 16, 2008
Disgusted Republican: "This is exactly what's needed. This is why no person should be allowed to vote without valid photo ID. More than that, no photo ID should be issued without verifying citizenship or legal status. We have an organized effort to get illegal aliens to vote. I've personally witnessed it."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
Disgusted Republican: "This is exactly what's needed. This is why no person should be allowed to vote without valid photo ID. More than that, no photo ID should be issued without verifying citizenship or legal status. We have an organized effort to get illegal aliens to vote. I've personally witnessed it."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
Janemarie: "I believe this is a plausible strategy. The Buckeye Institute in Ohio has filed a lawsuit against ACORN there, using this approach. Even though I live in WA state I plan to make a donation to this organization--google it and do it yourself! We need to find like-minded non-profits in each state with ACORN voter registration problems and try to get them to do the same. This reminds of what the Southern Poverty Law Center did in the 1980's to break some of the white supremacist organizations, on behalf of black victims of hate crimes--they went after the former's pocketbooks with civil lawsuits, and were able to break some of the big leaders of those groups."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
CincyRepublican: "I agree with you wholeheartedly. This whole issue of ACORN stinks to high heaven. They really need to throw the book at the local folks and see if they can't get someone to spill the beans on the National leaders of ACORN. Since there is a high degree of probability that a Democrat will be in charge of the White House I would imagine quite a few folks over at Justice are NOT looking into this as an act of self preservation. There is one thing that we could do on a National level that would ensure no voter fraud on election day. Take a page from Iraq and have voters dip their fingers in purple ink. It would be cheap, easy to implement, and would probably fix a lot of problems. Of course it would not stop fraudulent absentee ballots, but we cannot solve all of the problems at once."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
steve: "Justice wont investigate a corrupt orginization because justice is corrupt. And any investigation of anything about the One who heals is racist, havent you heard?"POSTED Oct 16, 2008
Dan Tana: "Maybe I'm wrong, but maybe the charges should be brought against the US Congress who knowingly aids and abets this criminal activity with taxpayer funding. A special moron award should be awarded to the Republican party who have been suckered into signing on to this funding year after year."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
voter: "Yes, the Justice Department should do something about it, but they won't. And ACORN knows it, and Obama knows it too. And after Obama is elected, Obama will control the Justice Department. He will fire all "disloyal" US attorney's. The system is rigged and McCain lost. Along with America."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
Insufficiently Sensitive: "If there are any uncorrupted administrations remaining among the 50 States, some new rules for elections are in order: End same-day registrations. If voting is such a sacred right, let the behavior of the voter be subject to some responsible behavior. And of course require a photo-ID and valid SSN for any voter registrant. And yes, RICO charges for ACORN. If not, tar and feathers."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
B Dubya: "Don't look for DOJ or the FBI to do anything about ACORN, RICO or not. DOJ is too busy making sure us evil Republicans aren't out there suppressing votes, and apparently they are mostly Clinton ere Democrats now working towards the victory of the Messiah. We are in the age of treason, folks. All of the exectutive departments are completely compromised by the infiltration of these people. I wonder if the Founders thought of that one..."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
I'M SHOCKED: "If I remember correctly, weren't those dismissed US attorneys removed because they refused to investigate voter fraud, as directed by the administration? Democrat attorneys providing cover for their surrogates, with Democrat lawmakers crying "politics" to get the heat off of ACORN."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
lge: "I say, POSTPONE the election until we can check up and make sure it's not going to be stolen."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
firefirefire: "Ha! After 0bama is elected ACORN will be the starting point for the new Civilian Defense Force, you know, the one that will be funded the same as the Armed Forces. God Bless America, May She Survive an 0bama Presidency."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
49erDweet: "There is no way the mislabeled "Department of Justice" will do anything substantive concerning voter fraud unless the potential wrong-doer happens to be a republican. Can anyone say "in the tank"?"POSTED Oct 16, 2008
A Disgrunteled: "It ASTOUNDS"POSTED Oct 16, 2008
Steambadger: "Yawn. Still not a single indication that anybody has stuffed, is stuffing, or intends to stuff a single fraudulent ballot into a single ballot box. Keep dancing, Republicans -- maybe somebody's actually watching, but I doubt it."POSTED Oct 16, 2008
Disgrunteld citizen: "I am sick to death of hearing about all the scams, lies and manipulation that dominate our political process. If we want to hold onto our values and freedom we need to wake up and get a grip! NOBODY should be allowed to register to vote without a VALID picture ID. NOBODY should be granted a picture ID without being and citizen of the United States of America. Any questions?"POSTED Oct 16, 2008
Jason: "Das Tana....for your info, the Republicans stripped out ACORN funding from the first bailout bill in committee. The democrats had money for community groups (broadly defined) -- unbelievably. While the Republicans are trying to clean it up, they're piling on more of what got us in this mess. Do not diss Republicans on this. Haven't you seen the Saturday Night Live Skit? Enjoy: http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/mystery-of-missing-snl-bailout-skit-ex"POSTED Oct 16, 2008
RS: "only property owners should be allowed to vote."POSTED Oct 17, 2008
RogerCfromSD: "Steambadger, it would be impossible to see whether there is ballot stuff, or not (there is)when one has his head as firmly up his rectum as you do. There are videotaped admissions by ACORN employees of their efforts to ballot stuff. How you can deny there is fraud going on is remarkable."POSTED Oct 17, 2008
G.D. AMERICA , I now know what it means-ACORN: "Dear Sir/Mdm I am a non-partisan voter, ACORN is being investigated in my state, NV, this will increase my tax base as a property owner and impact me finacially. Notwithstanding the fact, that failure of state and federal officials are slow to respond and are supressing vital information. As a natural citizen, I have a right pursuant to the 4th Amendment. The republicans and democrats can battle over who won what. My vote is my property. I need to find a voice to speak for me. This fraud affects elections of local judges, state officials, local officals and ballot questions. If someone was pollution my water, I would fight, now that someone is polluting my vote, I want to fight. I want to know if there is a class action lawsuit against ACORN, States, politicians, contributors and others as it pertains, that I can join."POSTED Oct 17, 2008
G.D. AMERICA , I now know what it means-ACORN: "Dear Sir/Mdm I am a non-partisan voter, ACORN is being investigated in my state, NV, this will increase my tax base as a property owner and impact me finacially. Notwithstanding the fact, that failure of state and federal officials are slow to respond and are supressing vital information. As a natural citizen, I have a right pursuant to the 4th Amendment. The republicans and democrats can battle over who won what. My vote is my property. I need to find a voice to speak for me. This fraud affects elections of local judges, state officials, local officals and ballot questions. If someone was pollution my water, I would fight, now that someone is polluting my vote, I want to fight. I want to know if there is a class action lawsuit against ACORN, States, politicians, contributors and others as it pertains, that I can join."POSTED Oct 17, 2008
Republican Voter Fraud in CA - LA Times Story: "LA Times reports that "Dozens of newly minted Republican voters say they were duped into joining the party by a GOP-hired contractor with trail of fraud complaints stretching across the country." Voters contacted by The Times said they were tricked into switching parties while signing what they believed were petitions for tougher penalties against child molesters. Some said they were told that they had to become Republicans to sign the petition, contrary to California initiative law. Others had no idea their registration was being changed. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fraud18-2008oct18,0,1216330.story"POSTED Oct 17, 2008
Republican Voter Fraud in CA - LA Times Story: "LA Times reports that "Dozens of newly minted Republican voters say they were duped into joining the party by a GOP-hired contractor with trail of fraud complaints stretching across the country." Voters contacted by The Times said they were tricked into switching parties while signing what they believed were petitions for tougher penalties against child molesters. Some said they were told that they had to become Republicans to sign the petition, contrary to California initiative law. Others had no idea their registration was being changed. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fraud18-2008oct18,0,1216330.story"POSTED Oct 17, 2008
LA Times Reports GOP Voter Fraud in Calif.: "The LA Times reports a story of voter fraud by a Republican contractor with a long history of complaints about fraud. Voters were duped into registering as Republicans, signing what they thought were petitions to get tough on child molesters. See LA Times today."POSTED Oct 19, 2008
: "Amen! It is way past time for the Justice Department to do something about it. The JD has been so incompetent to apprehend and try so many liberal felons in government circles that I don't expect much from them on this. If we wait on the JD for justice, we're goners, folks."