Louis DeJoy’s Campaign Fundraising, which helped position him as a Top Republican Power Broker in North Carolina and ultimately as Head of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), was bolstered for more than a Decade by a Practice that left many Employees feeling Pressured to make Political Contributions to GOP Candidates, Money DeJoy later Reimbursed through Bonuses, Seven Former Employees say.
Employees who Worked for DeJoy’s former Business, New Breed Logistics, say they were urged by DeJoy’s Aides or by DeJoy to write Checks and attend Fundraisers at his House in Greensboro, North Carolina.
There, Events for Republicans running for the White House and Congress routinely fetched $100,000 or more apiece. Then DeJoy would use New Breed’s Financial and Payroll Systems to send Bonus Payments to Staffers to help Defray the Cost of their Contributions, an Arrangement that would be a Violation of Federal and North Carolina Laws Against Conduit Contributions
DeJoy denies Reimbursing Employees for Political Donations on August 24th in a C-SPAN Interview.
A Washington Post Analysis of Federal and State Campaign Finance Records found a Pattern of Extensive Donations by New Breed Employees to Republican Candidates, with the same Amount often given by Multiple People on the same day.
Between 2000 and 2014, 124 Individuals who worked for the Company together gave more than $1 Million to Federal and State GOP Candidates. Many had Not previously made Political Donations, and have not made any since leaving the Company, Public Records show.
Although it can be Permissible to encourage Employees to make Donations, Reimbursing them for those Contributions is a Violation of North Carolina and Federal Election Laws. Known as a Straw-Donor Scheme, the Practice allows Donors to evade Individual Contribution Limits and Obscures the True Source of Money used to Influence Elections. Such Federal Violations carry a Five-year Statute of Limitations. There is No Statute of Limitations in North Carolina for Felonies, including Campaign Finance Violations.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
