Obama Donations: Thousands May Be Fraudulent

The New York Times reported October 10 that thousands of donations made to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama were fraudulent. In a story titled "Fictitious Donors Found in Obama Finance Records," the Times says, "An analysis of campaign finance records by The New York Times this week found nearly 3,000 donations to Mr. Obama...from more than a dozen people with apparently fictitious donor information."

One example used by the Times: "Test Person" from "Some Place, UT." Another: "Jockim Alberton" from Leroy Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware. "There is no Leroy Avenue in Wilmington," the Times says, and there is no "Jockim Alberton" in the public records.

This report from the Times follows a recent story about questionable donations to the Obama campaign from persons living overseas. In that story, questions were raised about the Obama campaign's accounting of its donations. In this case, the Times says, "...the questionable donations - some donors were listed simply with gibberish for their names - raise concerns about whether the Obama campaign is adequately vetting its unprecedented flood of donors."

The Times conducted its review over the course of several days and found around $40,000 in questionable donations "...that had not been refunded by the campaign as of its last filing with the Federal Election Commission, in September." The Times also says Republican nominee John McCain's records contain fewer questionable donations, but is careful to note that McCain also has also taken in less money than Obama.

Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt told the Times, "We have been aggressive about taking every available step to make sure our contributions are appropriate, updating our systems when necessary." But, the Times reports, "...even a contributor who used the name 'Jgtj Jfggjjfgj,' and listed an address of 'thjtrj' in 'gjtjtjtjtjtjr, AP,' was able to contribute $370 in a series of $10 donations in August."

More examples: donations made by "Derty West" and "Derty Poiiuy" with "rewq," Maine, submitted as an address; or how about "Qwertyyy" or "Qwerttyyu" for the employer / occupation information. These obviously fictitious donors gave the Obama campaign more than $1,100 dollars in July of this year. And one more: "Fornari Usa" submitted an employer name "Loving" and an occupation of "You." This donor gave more than $1,000 to Obama in increments of just $25.

The Times report states that the questionable donations found during its review of Obama campaign records appear to have been donated through the Internet, "...bolstering the contentions of some campaign finance groups that additional disclosure requirements are needed for contributions of $200 or less."