William and Blanchi Dugatkin have pled guilty to making fraudulent misrepresentations for the purpose of soliciting campaign contributions, in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). Without any authority to do so, the Dugatkins attempted to plan and carry out a bogus fundraiser for the 2004 presidential campaign of former Congressman Richard A. Gephardt. As a result of today's plea, each defendant faces to up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
The defendants had been indicted on wire fraud and conspiracy charges in June and charged on information in Spetember with fraudulent misrepresentations and conspiracy to make such misrepresentations in violation of the FECA.
Today, the defendants pled guilty in the District of Columbia to the first count of the information, which charged them with making fraudulent misrepresentations for the purpose of soliciting contributions. It alleges that, from June through August 2003, the Dugatkins, acting under the aliases Bill Baulding and Jade Newhart and through a company they controlled called "Never Stop Dreaming, Inc.," fraudulently misrepresented themselves as speaking, writing, and acting for Congressman Gephardt for the purpose of soliciting contributions that would aggregate $2,000 or more. The Dugatkins made these misrepresentations in planning a fake Gephardt fundraiser at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. As part of their scheme, the Dugatkins met with officials from the Museum and others and said that they were close personal friends of the Gephardt family, that they had been authorized by the Gephardt campaign to hold the fundraiser, and that they were working directly with the candidate and his wife on the particulars of the fundraising event. In fact, the Gephardts had never heard of the defendants or their company. Moreover, neither Gephardt nor anyone on his campaign staff had authorized the fundraiser. The fundraiser ultimately did not take place.
Is the DOJ getting tough? We shall see.
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