Prosecutor with McCain ties seeks voter records (Ohio)

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

Published on Saturday Oct 18, 2008

A county prosecutor who also serves as John McCain's southwest Ohio campaign chairman has requested personal information for some individuals who registered and immediately cast a ballot during a weeklong period that ended earlier this month.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters issued a subpoena on Friday for complete registration records for roughly 40 percent of the 671 voters who registered and cast a ballot between Sept. 30, when early voting began, and Oct. 6, the deadline for voter registration.

The subpoena, obtained by The Associated Press, is part of a grand jury investigation initiated by Deters in the county, which is Ohio's third largest and is home to Cincinnati.

"We've had widespread complaints of fraud but we do not discuss investigations at all," said Deters. He said the complaints came from "a variety of sources."

It was unclear why the subpoena _ which also calls upon the county's elections director and deputy director to testify before the grand jury _ doesn't ask for records of all voters from the weeklong window.



Read more: http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=943144&c=y

[fascisthunter]

1. GOP Working Hard to Disenfranchise Voters

because they know Obama is crushing McCain.

[bunner]

2. Ohio Republicans

They won't quit trying to put a monkey wrench in OHIO"S Vote.They got Bush in for EIGHT LOUSY YEARS
I hope and pray OBAMA makes a Clean Sweep and is our next President.I live in Ohio and I hate this place

[LiberalFighter]

3. He can't request COMPLETE registration records. Not legal under Ohio law.

[LiberalHeart]

4. Why not? I thought it was all public record.

[LiberalFighter]

5. Parts are not public record such as SSN.

You need to check the Ohio Revised Code.

[stillcool]

6. variety of sources = RNC

[mod mom]

7. Once upon a time the DOJ would have stepped in to protect the rights of voters.

:mad:

[spotbird]

9. Now it will step in to prevent the vote nt

[mod mom]

10. That was the goal of their Orwellian termed "Help America Vote Act" wasn't it?

:mad:

[OKNancy]

8. This thread goes along with this LBN topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7514730

Deters is ...well read it and you decide

[mod mom]

11. Here's MUCH more on Deter's ethics problems:

John McCain has resurrected Coingate and Tom Noe in time for the 2008 elections by naming former Treasurer of State Joe Deters, who resigned in disgrace in 2005, to head his campaign efforts in Southwest Ohio.
Want a little background on Mr. Deters? Todd Hoffman is only too happy to oblige. And why shouldn't he be? This is potentially a huge mistake for McCain. You want to remind Ohioans how the corrupt Ohio GOP drove this state into the ditch for 16 years? This is a great way to do it:

2002: Investment Broker Contributed $50K To Hamilton County GOP Fund, Received $5.9 Billion In Trades. Frank Gruttadauria, a Cleveland investment broker who defrauded his clients out of almost $300 million, contributed $50,000 to the Hamilton County Republican Party operating fund. Questions were raised when it was disclosed that companies Gruttadauria worked for made $5.9 billion in trades since 1999 for the office of State Treasurer Joe Deters. Gruttadauria pled guilty to using campaign contributions as a bribe for state work and was sentenced to four and half years in prison. An unsealed court document of Gruttadauria's testimony revealed that Deters was fully aware of the $50,000 contribution to the county GOP.

2002: Deters Awarded Out-Of-State Company Millions In State Work, Affiliated PAC Gave Hamilton County GOP And Other Deters Supporters Nearly $60K. State Treasurer Joe Deters gave lucrative work to a Pennsylvania firm that splits its fees with another company owned by a pair of generous donors to Ohio Republicans. Valley Forge Asset Management Corporation was among 14 companies picked to invest $347 million of Ohio's tobacco settlement money; Valley Forge was assigned to handle the largest piece- $40.3 million- and was expected to be paid over $200,000 in annual fees. Valley Forge had an agreement with VFIM Inc. and gave 50 percent of fees for helping land clients. VFIM is owned by Richard Ireland and Brian McElwee, who are the sole contributors to the Concerned Citizens Political Action Committee. Since 2000, they have given over $370,000 to the PAC and, in turn, the PAC gave $58,000 to the Hamilton County GOP and other Ohio GOP accounts that have supported Deters' campaign.

Plain Dealer Discovered That Roughly Two-Thirds Of $4 Million Deters' Campaign Funds Traced To Business Associates. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that roughly two-thirds of the $4 million State Treasurer Joe Deters has raised since 1998 can be traced to bankers, brokers, tobacco-fund managers or others doing business with his office. The total figure also included contributions from family members, lobbyists, close business associated and employees who work for the affiliated firms. Deters challenged the Plain Dealer's methodology, arguing it cast too wide a net by including family members and employees. "I'm surprised you only got to two-thirds," Deters said, adding, "You can find a link somehow to anybody."

2002: Fifth Third Securities Received Largest Ever Fine For Pay-To-Play; Deters Linked To More Than $250K In Employee Contributions. The Securities and Exchange Commission fined Fifth Third Securities Inc., a subsidiary of Fifth Third Bancorp, $1 million for violating federal rules aimed to curtail "pay to play," the practice of using campaign contributions to curry favor with those awarding municipal bond business. The fine was the largest ever issued by the SEC to end pay to play politics. The SEC would not say which elected officials were involved, but a federal source said they key figure was State Treasurer Joe Deters. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Fifth Third employees and associates gave more than $250,000 since 1998 to Deters' campaign or to Republican Party funds that supported him. Additionally, Executive Vice President Robert J. King, Jr. co-hosted a Deters fundraiser that raised $38,000 in Cleveland.


2002: Five Columbus Brokers Contributed $125K To Deters, Received Millions In State Business Contracts. Five Columbus brokers whose companies received millions of dollars in profits for doing business with State Treasurer Joe Deters' office contributed a total of $125,000 last year to the Hamilton County Republican Party, the largest bankroller of Deters' campaign fund. Contributions came after Deters stepped down in March 2001 as chairman of the county party and before the party had finished sending money to Deters' campaign fund. The party dumped $302,000 into Deters' campaign from January 2001 through January 2002, nearly twice as much as all 88 county Republican parties combined contributed to any of the four other GOP statewide officeholders. Democrats accused Deters of using the Hamilton County GOP to launder money into his campaign coffers.

2004: Two Deters Aides Pled Guilty To Pay-To-Play Political Scheme. A former chief of staff and a fundraiser for Deters pled guilty to charges of pay-to-play politics. Matt Borges, who was Deters' chief of staff and a key campaign staff member, pled guilty to one count of improper use of a public office. Deters' fundraiser Eric Sagun pled guilty to one count of an election law violation.

-snip

http://www.buckeyestateblog.com/former_treasurer_joe_deters_resigned_in_disgrace_so_natrually_mccain_picked_him_to_head_his_campaign_efforts_in_sw_ohio


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