Former Louisiana State Senator and Chair of a DEMOCRATIC Political Party Charged with Wire Fraud for Role in Nearly Seven-Year Scheme to Defraud Campaign Entity, Donors, and Political Party Organization

(Peterson previously abruptly resigned in April 2022)

NEW ORLEANS – The United States Attorney’s Office announced that former Louisiana State Senator and Chair of State Political Party “A”,KAREN CARTER PETERSON, age 52, from New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged today in a one-count bill of information with wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

According to court documents, PETERSON served as a Louisiana State Senator for the 5th District from about 2010 until about April 8, 2022, and as the Chair of State Political Party A between about 2012 and 2020. As a Louisiana State Senator, PETERSON formed and maintained a campaign organization, the “Karen Carter Peterson Campaign Fund (“KCPCF”),” to solicit and raise campaign funds from individual and corporate donors. The campaign funds were solicited based upon the representations and premise that the funds would be used to facilitate PETERSON’S reelection for the position of State Senator. In furtherance of her scheme, PETERSON diverted, and caused her friends and associates to divert, campaign funds from the KCPCF to PETERSON’S personal use for the purpose of obtaining and using money and property from contributors to the KCPCF by means of materially false and fraudulent representations and promises for nearly seven (7) years. She did so by writing checks drawn on the KCPCF account to her friends and associates and directing them to cash the checks and then to give most or all of the proceeds to her. PETERSON used the funds to pay for personal expenses unrelated to her campaign or the holding of public office, including to pay gambling-related expenses, and, in the course of soliciting additional contributions, failed to disclose to potential contributors that PETERSON had already used funds contributed to the KCPCF for her personal benefit. Further, PETERSON caused the public filing of false and misleading campaign finance reports that mischaracterized expenditures as being for legitimate purposes related to her campaign or the holding of public office, but were, in fact, unrelated to such purposes and, instead, were diverted to PETERSON’S personal use.

Additionally, in her role as Chair of State Political Party A, PETERSON oversaw the strategic decision-making, operations, outreach, and direction of Party A and supervised its permanent staff, including individuals who had signatory authority of State Political Party A’s financial accounts. PETERSON exploited her position to choose entities (“ Companies”) operated by her associates, purportedly to provide campaign-related services to State Political Party A, and to determine the amount that Party A would pay each of the Companies. In fact, the Companies provided either no or minimal services for State Political Party A. PETERSON then directed the Companies to remit a portion of the funds paid to them by State Political Party A to PETERSON through either checks drawn on the accounts of the Companies or in cash.

If convicted, PETERSON faces a maximum term of twenty (20) years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three (3) years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

The United States Attorney’s Office reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Attorney’s Office praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and Forensic Accountant Josephine M. Beninati, CPA, CFE in this matter and thanks the Metropolitan Crime Commission for its assistance. Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Corruption Unit, and Jonathan L. Shih are in charge of the prosecution.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/pr/former-louisiana-state-senator-and-chair-state-political-party-charged-wire-fraud-role

Hermon, MAINE Mayor Resigns Abruptly

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2022/07/14/news/bangor/howard-kroll-abrupt-resign-n6hjn1me0n/

Fair Haven , Vermont Board Chairman Abruptly Resigns

https://www.rutlandherald.com/news/fair-haven-select-board-chairman-resigns-abruptly/article_e6124d24-906e-5e1a-988f-a18c853936b4.html

>>16736579

I would like to buy a "Y".

Ellington, Connecticut Assessor Suddenly Resigns

https://www.journalinquirer.com/news/ellington-town-assessor-resigns-suddenly/article_a8365f8a-038b-11ed-bf2a-9b2bacadc47d.html

Bend, Oregon Health System CEO Abruptly Resigns

(Do you see a high trend of abruptly in news)?

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-executive-moves/st-charles-ceo-abruptly-resigns-amid-layoffs.html

2 Montana Counties Reject 2020 Prez Election Results

Republican central committees in Ravalli and Lewis and Clark counties have in the last two weeks passed near-identical resolutions refuting the results of the 2020 presidential election and claiming Joe Biden “was not legitimately elected” to the presidency of the United States. The resolutions urge the Montana Legislature to do “everything in their power” to put “the responsibility of election integrity and accountability back into the hands of We the People.”

The resolutions come as a growing chorus of former advisers to Donald Trump have disclosed to a congressional committee their efforts to defuse the former president’s attempts to maintain power in late 2020, and mirror similar resolutions recently passed by the Texas Republican Party and local Republican committees in Maricopa County, Arizona, and Langlade County, Wisconsin.

Their debut in Montana comes on the eve of the Montana Republican Party’s platform convention in Billings this week, foreshadowing a potential topic of debate among conservatives who are already divided over whether the state’s current election processes are secure.

The Ravalli County Republican Central Committee passed a resolution refuting the results of the 2020 presidential election last week.

While both resolutions passed, not every precinct committee member was on board, with some citing fears of sowing division or unfairly casting doubt on Montana’s elections.

“What they are indicating that election fraud is, is not what occurs in Montana,” said Rep. Julie Dooling, a Republican from Helena and a precinct captain in the Lewis and Clark County central committee. Dooling was not present for the resolution vote this week. “It’s not how we tally votes,” she told Montana Free Press. “It’s now how we process our votes throughout the state.”

Though debates about election integrity have raged across the country for well over a year, a steady stream of political scientists, election analysts and elected officials have routinely stated that there is no evidence of widespread, orchestrated voter fraud during the 2020 election that could have reversed the results. In Montana, county election officials, state lawmakers and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen have similarly defended the security and integrity of Montana’s current election processes, and recently endeavored to counter repeated allegations and misinformation by establishing an informal workgroup to develop practical improvements to the existing system.

‘IT WAS A TOTAL AMBUSH’

According to two of its primary drafters, the resolution approved by the Ravalli County Republican Central Committee this month got its start during a late-June parking lot conversation among several committee members about pivoting from rhetoric to action on the issue of election integrity. As precinct captain Doug Bohn put it, Republicans in the Bitterroot Valley had seen multiple presentations on the topic over the past year, but “all we had accomplished was acknowledging there was an issue.”

Precinct captain Barb Parell said that during the conversation she mentioned the recent resolution in Texas and was asked to work up something similar.

“We just want to have a groundswell because it doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to come from the top,” Parell said.

Committee Chair Terry Nelson did not respond to messages seeking comment. But multiple eyewitness accounts of the resolution’s subsequent introduction at the committee’s July 5 meeting portray it as a hasty and contentious surprise, given that the proposal did not appear on the agenda ahead of time.

“It was a total ambush”

RAVALLI COUNTY PRECINCT CAPTAIN TONY HUDSON

Precinct captain Tony Hudson recounted that the resolution was introduced by state Sen. Theresa Manzella, a Hamilton Republican and precinct captain who has helped spearhead the debate about election integrity in Montana, and by state committeeman Alan Lackey, an outspoken critic of local COVID-19 protocols who lost a Republican primary bid for the state House last month. The resulting debate, Hudson said, lasted “an hour and 45 minutes” and ended in a voice vote muddled by shouts from public attendees.

“It was a total ambush,” Hudson said, adding that supporters of the resolution continued gathering signatures from precinct captains after the meeting adjourned. “It’s unbelievable.”

(Not complete… see link)

https://montanafreepress.org/2022/07/14/republican-resolutions-refuting-biden-presidency-surface-in-montana/

2 Montana Counties Reject 2020 Prez Election Results

Republican central committees in Ravalli and Lewis and Clark counties have in the last two weeks passed near-identical resolutions refuting the results of the 2020 presidential election and claiming Joe Biden “was not legitimately elected” to the presidency of the United States. The resolutions urge the Montana Legislature to do “everything in their power” to put “the responsibility of election integrity and accountability back into the hands of We the People.”

The resolutions come as a growing chorus of former advisers to Donald Trump have disclosed to a congressional committee their efforts to defuse the former president’s attempts to maintain power in late 2020, and mirror similar resolutions recently passed by the Texas Republican Party and local Republican committees in Maricopa County, Arizona, and Langlade County, Wisconsin.

Their debut in Montana comes on the eve of the Montana Republican Party’s platform convention in Billings this week, foreshadowing a potential topic of debate among conservatives who are already divided over whether the state’s current election processes are secure.

The Ravalli County Republican Central Committee passed a resolution refuting the results of the 2020 presidential election last week.

While both resolutions passed, not every precinct committee member was on board, with some citing fears of sowing division or unfairly casting doubt on Montana’s elections.

“What they are indicating that election fraud is, is not what occurs in Montana,” said Rep. Julie Dooling, a Republican from Helena and a precinct captain in the Lewis and Clark County central committee. Dooling was not present for the resolution vote this week. “It’s not how we tally votes,” she told Montana Free Press. “It’s now how we process our votes throughout the state.”

Though debates about election integrity have raged across the country for well over a year, a steady stream of political scientists, election analysts and elected officials have routinely stated that there is no evidence of widespread, orchestrated voter fraud during the 2020 election that could have reversed the results. In Montana, county election officials, state lawmakers and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen have similarly defended the security and integrity of Montana’s current election processes, and recently endeavored to counter repeated allegations and misinformation by establishing an informal workgroup to develop practical improvements to the existing system.

‘IT WAS A TOTAL AMBUSH’

According to two of its primary drafters, the resolution approved by the Ravalli County Republican Central Committee this month got its start during a late-June parking lot conversation among several committee members about pivoting from rhetoric to action on the issue of election integrity. As precinct captain Doug Bohn put it, Republicans in the Bitterroot Valley had seen multiple presentations on the topic over the past year, but “all we had accomplished was acknowledging there was an issue.”

Precinct captain Barb Parell said that during the conversation she mentioned the recent resolution in Texas and was asked to work up something similar.

“We just want to have a groundswell because it doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to come from the top,” Parell said.

Committee Chair Terry Nelson did not respond to messages seeking comment. But multiple eyewitness accounts of the resolution’s subsequent introduction at the committee’s July 5 meeting portray it as a hasty and contentious surprise, given that the proposal did not appear on the agenda ahead of time.

“It was a total ambush”

RAVALLI COUNTY PRECINCT CAPTAIN TONY HUDSON

Precinct captain Tony Hudson recounted that the resolution was introduced by state Sen. Theresa Manzella, a Hamilton Republican and precinct captain who has helped spearhead the debate about election integrity in Montana, and by state committeeman Alan Lackey, an outspoken critic of local COVID-19 protocols who lost a Republican primary bid for the state House last month. The resulting debate, Hudson said, lasted “an hour and 45 minutes” and ended in a voice vote muddled by shouts from public attendees.

“It was a total ambush,” Hudson said, adding that supporters of the resolution continued gathering signatures from precinct captains after the meeting adjourned. “It’s unbelievable.”

(Not complete… see link)

https://montanafreepress.org/2022/07/14/republican-resolutions-refuting-biden-presidency-surface-in-montana/