Posts tagged ‘Campaign Finance Report’
Olsen Broke Law By Accepting Donation From Foreign National
Left: Eric Olsen (R-Stafford), Right: Urs Kirchhofer
I’m bewildered by how someone who is running to be Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney continues to thumb his nose at the law?
Three weeks ago, I discovered what appeared to be an illegal campaign donation to Eric “Law & Order” Olsen (R-Stafford) from a foreign national – this on the heels of “Law & Order-gate.”
According to sources close to his campaign, he claimed that he did not know that he wasn’t allowed to accept donations from foreign nationals. Are you kidding me!
This isn’t Olsen’s first run for office – after all he ran for the same office in the city of Fredericksburg in 2008 (and lost). I guess if things don’t work out in Stafford, there’s always Spotsylvania County…
The Virginia State Board of Elections has now confirmed that the contribution “was in fact from a foreign national.” They also indicated that they’ve “been told that this contribution has been returned to the donor.”
So will retiring Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney Daniel Chichester launch an investigation of his handpicked successor? I’d say the odds aren’t great. If this was anyone else, I have to believe that Olsen and Chichester would be pursing him or her with great vigor.
I won’t be holding my breath.
Thank goodness voters have a choice on November 8th. We need a candidate who is as concerned with following the law as he is in enforcing it. Tim Barbrow (I-Stafford) is just that person.
Olsen Breaks Law Again, Accepts Illegal Campaign Donation?
For someone running for Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney, you would think that Eric “Law & Order” Olsen (R-Stafford) would take care to ensure that he, himself, followed the law, right? On the heels of “Law & Order-gate,” it appears that Olsen may have accepted an illegal campaign donation from a foreign national.
Per his most recent campaign finance disclosure report (04/01/2011 – 06/30/2011), one of his top campaign contributors is a business owner from Switzerland named Urs Kirchofer:
It is illegal to accept money from foreign nationals.
I did a quick google search and was able to locate an Urs Kirchhofer (an extra “h” in last name) in Luzern (French: Lucerne), Switzerland. You can check out his xing profile here.
Left: Eric Olsen (R-Stafford), Right: Urs Kirchhofer
All signs seem to confirm that this individual is a non-U.S. citizen and doesn’t have permanent U.S. residency status (posses a “green card”).
Olsen needs to return this money immediately and explain his relationship to this individual!
Better yet, just vote for Timothy Barbrow (I-Stafford) on November 8.
Did Stafford County Supervisor Paul Milde Break the Law?
I was recently made aware of some footage of Stafford County Supervisor Paul Milde (R-Aquia) at a 2009 fundraiser at Hope Springs Marina in Stafford, VA. In the video, Milde spent quite a bit of time thanking everyone for their help in planning this fundraiser.
Of particular note, Milde thanks Jimmy Franklin for the food and accommodations that he provided for this fundraiser. Jimmy owns the Hope Springs Marina. He also thanked Skip and Cindi Causey for their donation of wine. Skip and Cindi own the Potomac Point Vineyard and Winery, also in Stafford County. Lastly, he thanked a person by the name of John for DJ Services that he provided and even suggests that attendees at his fundraiser grab one of his cards.
So how did Milde potentially break the law? I’ve poured through his Campaign Finance Reports from 2009 and was unable to find any in-kind contributions for the marina, food, wine or DJ services. Surely, based on the size of the crowd, each of these donations were above $100.
According to the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006, Milde was required to report such in-kind campaign contributions. By not reporting such contributions, Milde could be subject to a civil penalty.
I’ve long heard rumors of these sort of violations of campaign law by him; however, I’ve never seen any hard proof. To me, the video clearly shows Milde thanking folks for various in-kind contributions made to him – none of which appears on any of his campaign finance reports (you can see the full video here). Given Milde’s experience running for office, he certainly must understand what is required of him. One can only wonder what else he may be hiding?
Milde is certainly no stranger to the law. In 1986, Milde was convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and sentenced to six years in prison, five of which were suspended. In 1995, he also plead guilty to attempted burglary as an accessory after the fact in Fairfax County.
Just last year the Free Lance-Star also reported that “tax records between 1993 and 2009 show that Milde and companies he owns or that bear his name have a history of delinquent county taxes and federal tax liens.” Perhaps most disturbing was the fact that while Milde served on the board (his first term), “[Stafford] county sent him at least 30 delinquent real-estate tax bills on Garrison Woods condominiums owned by McMillion and Milde L.L.C.” If that wasn’t enough, while on the board, his company Closet Interiors Plus “was subject to four federal tax liens.”
Given Milde’s checkered past, one has to wonder whether he willfully omitted the aforementioned in-kind contributions from his campaign finance reports? I have a feeling we are all about to find out real soon…
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