{"id":219,"date":"2021-06-21T09:52:17","date_gmt":"2021-06-21T09:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/press-releases\/new-findings-warrant-criminal-investigation-into-u-s-postmaster-dejoys-alleged-straw-donor-scheme-in-north-carolina\/"},"modified":"2021-06-21T09:52:17","modified_gmt":"2021-06-21T09:52:17","slug":"new-findings-warrant-criminal-investigation-into-u-s-postmaster-dejoys-alleged-straw-donor-scheme-in-north-carolina","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/press\/new-findings-warrant-criminal-investigation-into-u-s-postmaster-dejoys-alleged-straw-donor-scheme-in-north-carolina\/","title":{"rendered":"New findings warrant criminal investigation into U.S. Postmaster DeJoy\u2019s alleged &#8216;straw donor&#8217; scheme in North Carolina"},"template":"","class_list":["post-219","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"","featured_image":"","press_type":146,"authors":["{\"site_id\":\"68\",\"post_type\":\"person\",\"post_id\":220}"],"related_issues":[105,419],"related_work":[119],"location":36},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":null,"name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"RALEIGH \u2013 Common Cause today presented the NC State Board of Elections with new research revealing suspicious donations totaling $300,000 from U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, his family and 60 of his then-employees to Pat McCrory\u2019s campaigns, mostly large donations made by individuals who have made no other contribution in North Carolina over 30 years.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2021\/06\/SBOE-DeJoy-CCNC-addendum-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The 20-page report<\/a> supplements a complaint Common Cause filed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/press-release\/common-cause-nc-files-complaint-calling-for-investigation-of-u-s-postmaster-dejoy-for-alleged-straw-donor-scheme-in-north-carolina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">last September<\/a> calling for a criminal investigation into possible unlawful campaign donations tied to DeJoy while he was chief executive of High Point, NC-based New Breed Logistics. The complaint came after a lengthy Washington Post article quoted executives alleging that DeJoy pressured them to make political contributions which he later reimbursed through company bonuses.\r\n\r\nIt is against North Carolina law to funnel money into a campaign through \u201cstraw donors\u201d or to use company funds to make political donations. It\u2019s a felony if either violation involves contributions exceeding $10,000.\r\n\r\nThe new analysis of hundreds of contributions by company executives raises renewed concerns and provides deeper insight into allegations that DeJoy may have orchestrated illegal campaign activities in the state. The report was prepared for Common Cause by longtime North Carolina campaign finance expert Bob Hall, former executive director of the nonprofit Democracy NC.\r\n\r\nIn addition to filing the report as an addendum to its complaint with the State Board of Elections, Common Cause <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2021\/06\/Freeman-DeJoy-CCNC-letter-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is also asking<\/a> Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman to open a criminal investigation into the allegations against DeJoy. While the FBI is currently investigating whether DeJoy violated federal campaign finance laws, District Attorney Freeman has jurisdiction to investigate contributions made by DeJoy to state candidates.\r\n\r\nEarlier this year, Freeman said she would not pursue an investigation into DeJoy\u2019s alleged donation scheme. At the time, Freeman said her office\u2019s review of state campaign finance reports did not disclose sufficient information to warrant a criminal investigation. However, Common Cause said Hall\u2019s in-depth research demonstrates that a thorough investigation should be immediately launched.\r\n\r\n\u201cThese new, detailed findings reveal an alarming and highly suspicious pattern of campaign donations by Louis DeJoy\u2019s employees while he led New Breed Logistics,\u201d said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause NC.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWe respectfully urge District Attorney Freeman to review these new findings and begin a full investigation into Mr. DeJoy\u2019s alleged political donation scheme.\u201d\r\n\r\n<strong>Among the findings in Hall\u2019s report:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u2014\u00a0Dozens of New Breed employees who had given little or nothing to NC politics suddenly began making $1,000 and larger donations to Pat McCrory\u2019s 2012 gubernatorial campaign; 54 executives and three of their wives donated a total of $143,130. For 46 of the 54 employees, it was their first reportable contribution to a North Carolina candidate.\r\n\r\n\u2014\u00a0Most of those contributions were delivered around two days during the 2012 primary and general election when three members of Louis DeJoy\u2019s family each gave $4,000 (then the limit per election) to McCrory. DeJoy, his family and New Breed employees gave a total of $181,000 to McCrory\u2019s successful 2012 campaign; the new governor appointed DeJoy\u2019s wife, campaign co-chair Aldona Wos, as secretary of the NC Department of Health and Human Services.\r\n\r\n\u2014\u00a0David W. Young, who told the Washington Post that DeJoy reimbursed contributions, donated $2,000 on each of those key days during McCrory\u2019s 2012 campaign. Hall said Young was in a good position to know how \u201cthe scheme\u201d worked because he was a donor himself and was also New Breed\u2019s director of human resources with access to employee records.\r\n\r\n\u2014\u00a0In late 2015, 19 employees gave Gov. McCrory $25,600 shortly before DeJoy left his position as chief executive of New Breed, then a division of XPO Logistics. At the same time, DeJoy and three family members each gave McCrory the maximum donation of $5,100.\r\n\r\n\u2014\u00a0Hall said reimbursements of donations may have begun during McCrory\u2019s 2008 campaign when seven employees donated $3,000 after DeJoy gave the maximum contribution; and the practice may have continued into October 2016, when DeJoy was an XPO board member and 19 employees gave another $32,100 to McCrory in a cluster of large donations.\r\n\r\n\u2014\u00a0The report also describes two groups of large federal campaign donations totaling $236,400 to the Thom Tillis Victory Committee in 2014 from Louis DeJoy, his family and 41 New Breed employees. Those donations may be part of the investigation now underway by the FBI.\r\n\r\n\u2014\u00a0Hall said reimbursements of state donations apparently stopped after 2016. DeJoy continued to make large donations to North Carolina politicians but only five of the 60 employees who gave to McCrory have made any contribution in state politics since 2016, and those five only donated a total of $1,850. \u201cThis absence of political activity by these New Breed\/XPO employees is another indication that their large donations to Pat McCrory were tied to the power of their boss, Louis DeJoy,\u201d Hall wrote in his report to Common Cause.\r\n\r\n\u201cThese allegations should be thoroughly investigated and, if true, Mr. DeJoy must be held accountable,\u201d Phillips said.\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\nCommon Cause NC is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2021\/06\/SBOE-DeJoy-CCNC-addendum-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the letter and report sent by Common Cause NC to the State Board of Elections<\/a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/north-carolina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2021\/06\/Freeman-DeJoy-CCNC-letter-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the letter and report sent by Common Cause NC to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman<\/a>"}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New findings warrant criminal investigation into U.S. Postmaster DeJoy\u2019s alleged &#8216;straw donor&#8217; 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