Darth Voter's Fed Ed and Ramzi Haddad Problem

I told you last week that Pennsylvania's Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation, which oversees the Commonwealth’s electoral process, has opened an inquiry into the annual campaign finance report that State Rep. Mike "Darth Voter" Schlossburg filed for his fundraising and campaign expenses last year. He spent about $13,500 on himself, claiming expenses as reimbursements, without detailing the name and address of the person or entity paying, or the purpose of the expense for which he was seeking reimbursement. This violates state campaign finance laws, as Dart Voter should soon learn. But he has another problem with his campaign finances. This is a Fed Ed problem. It's also a Ramzi Haddad problem.

Darth Voter's $1,000 Fed Ed Problem

In his report, Schlossberg reports a $1,000 contribution to Allentown Mayor Edwin "Fed Ed" Pawlowski, made on June 24, 2015. Fed Ed initially failed to disclose this contribution, but in his amended July report, he acknowledges having received $1,000 from Schlossberg's campaign

After he suspended his campaign, Fed Ed's October report shows that he returned that contribution to Schlossberg, by check dated 7/27/15. But that return appears nowhere in Schlossberg's annual report. If the money was returned, this should have been reported. Schlossberg would also have $1,000 more than he reports.

It's certainly possible that Darth Voter never received the $1,000 returned donation. But this needs to be established, one way or the other. I am asking the Department of State, which has already opened up an inquiry into Schlossberg's campaign finances, to resolve this matter.

Darth Voter's $1,000 Ramzi Haddad Problem

I also am quite interested in a $1,000 contribution made by Ramzi Haddad to Schlossberg on 5/9/15. Haddad, you may recall, pleaded guilty last year to participating with Fed Ed in a scheme to deprive the citizens of Allentown of their right to honest services. In exchange for campaign contributions and other things of value, including food and drinks, Haddad was promised preferential treatment from the City in zoning and inspection matters.

Fed Ed announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on April 17, 2015. According to the Haddad information, Fed Ed "determined that his best chance at winning his party’s support as a candidate for the United States Senate – and deterring other potential rivals for his party’s nomination – was to maximize his amount of campaign contributions for the June 30 reporting period, thereby demonstrating that his fundraising prowess had improved since an earlier, failed attempt at winning statewide office."

Shock and awe.

Under federal campaign finance laws, no one individual can contribute more than $5,400 to a federal candidate ($2,700 in the primary and $2,700 in the general). But Haddad was enlisted to raise $25,000 through third parties. In late June, Haddad delivered $21,500 to Fed Ed's campaign, and back dated several of these checks.

Is the $1,000 Schlossberg contribution one of these bundled checks? Did Haddad launder a $1,000 contribution to Fed Ed through Schlossberg? That's a question for the feds, not the state But a $1,000 contribution from Haddad to Schlossberg makes no sense. Schlossberg's district doesn't follow any of Haddad's major real estate - East Allentown, West Bethlehem, LVIP III near Airport, and properties in Easton area. It may include the former Agere plant.

One final concern about this $1,000 donation. Why has Schlossberg kept it? Haddad has pleaded guilty to giving bribes, and during the time of this donation. This is not a contribution from someone who is on the FBI subpoeana list. This is a contribution from an admitted criminal. Schlossberg's unwillingness to return this tainted money should tell us all we need to know about his ethics.

Updated 12:00 pm: Schlossberg Now Claims He Gave Haddad Money to Charity. - On his Facebook page, Darth Voter is now claiming he gave the Haddad money to charity. "Good morning, everyone! This recently came up so I thought it was worth clarifying: On 9/15, I made a $2,000 donation to the Mosser Village Family Center. This was all the contributions I have received from Ramzi Haddad. I thought it made more sense to donate the money to a vitally important non-profit than return it. I'd also encourage you to learn more about Mosser, which does fantastic work and needs your assistance as much as possible. http://www.mosservillage.org"

Schlossberg's annual report does list a $2,000 contribution to Mosser, but on 9/10. It fails to indicate that this is how he disposed of the Haddad contribution. For all I know, it could just as easily have funded other donees like Ed Pawlowski ($1,000), Citizens for a Better Allentown ($2,500), or any of a number of other expenditures, including some of the reimbursements he made to himself. Yet, he would have you believe he used tainted money to fund a charity, as though that excuses it. That's like giving money from a drug dealer to the church. It is still dirty money.

Darth Voter had an opportunity to do the right thing and he failed. Now that he's been caught, he has created a bullshit explanation that never appears in his annual report.