The Californians whose scam PACs tricked Trump and Clinton supporters out of millions
LOS ANGELES — The robocalls poured in, tens of millions of them, in the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
Some calls opened with a clip of Donald Trump speaking, then switched to another prerecorded voice urging listeners to make an “emergency investment to the campaign.” Contribute $1,000 or more, the call said, and receive a photo of Trump, “suitable for framing.”
Other calls played a recording of Hillary Clinton, then urged listeners to press 1 to help elect America’s first female president. Those who did were connected to a call center, where operators told donors that they would “work hard to make sure” Clinton won the election.
The calls felt like many other political messages flooding U.S. phone lines during the bitter battle for the White House in 2016. The difference, federal officials said, was that these calls were scams.
Two Californians set up a pair of political action committees, called the Liberty Action Group and the Progressive Priorities PAC, to cash in on the growing rift between Republicans and Democrats, the U.S. Justice Department said.
The two groups made more than 275 million robocalls over a 16-month period and netted nearly $4 million in small-dollar contributions.
Rather than using the money to buy television ads or run get-out-the-vote efforts, prosecutors said, the men behind the PACs lined their own pockets. The two committees distributed $19 to political campaigns and causes, prosecutors said, while organizers kept more than $1.5 million for themselves.
The two California men were sentenced this year to a combined 17 years in prison for the sham political fundraising operation, seven
