ACORN Dumped Sensitive Documents as Probe Began, Private Investigator Says

Private investigator Derrick Roach says he found thousands of documents containing sensitive personal information dumped outside the San Diego branch of ACORN.

A private investigator says he found tens of thousands of sensitive documents dumped outside a California ACORN office just days after the state attorney general announced an inquiry into the community organizing group.

Derrick Roach, a licensed investigator based in San Diego, told FoxNews.com he paid an impromptu visit to the city's ACORN branch on Oct. 9 and watched from his car as a man tossed bags of files into a Dumpster outside the building.

After ACORN staff left for the day, he says, he searched the trash bin and discovered more than 20,000 documents he believes point to illicit relationships between ACORN and a bank and a labor union — as well as confidential information that could put thousands at risk for identity theft.

"We're talking people's driver's license numbers, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, tax returns, credit reports" — all tossed in public view in the Dumpster, he said.

In one document shared with FoxNews.com, an ACORN employee's name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and driver's license number were revealed, and photocopies of the employee's license and Social Security card were also included. Another document showed bank account information for a woman paying an ACORN membership fee by check.

Here’s hoping the people who received this email today heard about the dump.

Dear MoveOn member,
We can’t afford to lose the health care fight. Too many people suffer the real human cost of the status quo. And right now we’re closer than we’ve been in decades to meaningful change that will benefit millions of Americans.

But we could still lose this fight. And if we do, we won’t get another chance: Democrats will conclude that bold, progressive initiatives are too risky.

President Obama will be forced to scale his agenda way back. And the Sarah Palin/Glenn Beck wing of the Republican Party will be on the rise headed into the 2010 and 2012 elections.

On the other hand, if we win historic health care reform there’ll be historic momentum for all of Obama’s progressive agenda—jobs, clean energy, education, civil rights, workers’ rights, and more—and good odds for his re-election.

Meanwhile, right-wing teabaggers and corporate lobbyists will be left demoralized and in disarray.

The next few weeks will determine whether we face a dream or a nightmare. Can you contribute, right now, to make sure that nightmare never comes to pass?

We’ve calculated we need to raise at least $250,000 in the next 48 hours to double down for health care reform.

That’ll take at least 10 donations from your area—can you chip in $20?
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/double.html?bg_id=hpc0&id=18043-17190442-FrhzlFx&t=3

The fight for real health care reform with a public option is one of the most important we’ve ever taken on together.

And we’ve gotten further than most politicians and pundits ever thought possible: for all its flaws, the legislation now on the Senate floor includes a version of the public option.

But now our opponents are getting desperate: Right-wing business interests spent $24 million dollars last month on TV ads alone.1

We’re ready to take them on.

On top of everything we’re already doing, in the next few weeks, we’re planning to:
go toe-to-toe with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, challenging their misleading tactics and putting them on defense for their extremist positions;

combine on-the-ground media events with tough new TV ads that’ll show wavering senators that they’ll face political trouble back home if they vote against reform;

and pair polling with advertising to reinforce the idea that representatives who voted to defeat health care in the House need to worry about the consequences come Election Day.

But the health care campaign has grown so intense we’ve ramped up to more than twice the level of spending each month that we’d initially planned, and we’ll have to scale back unless we can raise at least $250,000 in the next two days.

To get there, we’ll need 10 people in your area to help out. Can you contribute $20 to make sure we win health care reform—and the rest of Obama’s progressive agenda?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/double.html?bg_id=hpc0&id=18043-17190442-FrhzlFx&t=4

Thank you for all you do.
–Nita, Noah, Adam, Kat, and the rest of the team

Sources:
1. “Business foes of health care revamp ramp up effort,” Associated Press, Nov. 17, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85250&id=18043-17190442-FrhzlFx&t=5

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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