Utah Republicans filed false tax documents to hide donor info
Seven new search warrants in the investigation of former Utah Attorneys General John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff allege their well-connected campaign consultant filed bogus tax documents to hide the activities of a shadowy political organization. The warrants, unsealed Thursday, demand records from Internet providers, cellphone companies and a consulting firm that provided services to Swallow’s and Shurtleff’s campaigns.
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The source revealed how Powers set up a nonprofit group, the Proper Role of Government Education Association (PRGEA), which does not require donors to be reported. That allowed Powers and Swallow to conceal contributions, mainly from payday lenders, that might be politically damaging.
Later, the source said, Powers and the source fabricated tax documents to hide how much the organization had raised and spent. The actual figures would have shown the organization had violated Internal Revenue Service rules about how much such nonprofits can legally pump into political activities.
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The warrants seek evidence of numerous crimes, including obstruction of justice, witness tampering and retaliation, soliciting and accepting bribes, evidence tampering, harassment and tax evasion.
http://m.sltrib.com/sltrib/mobile3/57343544-219/swallow-attorney-campaign-powers.html.csp
= new reply since forum marked as read
From the article--
Bell had been an investor in Jenson’s plans for a $3.5 billion Mount Holly ski and golf resort near Beaver and had recruited others to pour money into the now-defunct project as well.
In the final days of his third and last term as attorney general, Shurtleff unilaterally decided to settle the lawsuit against Bank of America. In an email, Shurtleff explained to another lawyer in the attorney general’s office that the suit had become a problem for Swallow because of the Bell fundraiser and Bell’s involvement in the Mount Holly fraud case.
The Swallow campaign later persuaded Bell to report that the fundraiser cost $1,000, even though the actual price tag, according to House investigators, topped $28,000.
House investigators said the abandoned lawsuit could have benefited as many as 5,000 Utahns who had been foreclosed upon by Bank of America.
I'm still pouring over the information in the article but it sounds like average citizens were left holding the bag...
