ACORN Members Demand Federal Criminal Probe

Capital Research Center ^ | January 12, 2009 | Matthew Vadum

[vadum]

Dissident ACORN members are demanding that the crooked group be investigated with a view to federal criminal charges, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

The splinter group, ACORN 8, released a 24-page document Wednesday that asks federal investigators to consider fraud, embezzlement and conspiracy charges, and criminal civil rights violations relating to the embezzlement of nearly $1 million from the nonprofit's accounts and an alleged cover-up of the theft for almost a decade.

"Moreover, due to the admission that a felony has been committed, other federal offenses may have also been committed ... ," states the document signed by 14 members of ACORN 8, including recently expelled members of ACORN's national board of directors.

The embezzlement and accusations of voter registration fraud in at least eight states, including Pennsylvania, have cost ACORN -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- the support of a benefactor that gave the activist group $7 million in the past decade.

The ACORN 8 complaint alleges violation of the civil rights of board members who sought to investigate the embezzlement and subsequently were removed from the board.

The action stems from a bitter dispute within ACORN since disclosure in June that Dale Rathke, brother of ACORN co-founder and former Chief Organizer Wade Rathke, embezzled $948,000.

ACORN officials last year announced a settlement agreement to recoup the money. No criminal charges resulted. [...]

In November I wrote in the Washington Times about the growing demands for ACORN to be criminally probed.

[ScreamingFist]

The action stems from a bitter dispute within ACORN since disclosure in June that Dale Rathke, brother of ACORN co-founder and former Chief Organizer Wade Rathke, embezzled $948,000.

So it's not about ethics, it's about the money....who would have thought.

[Cementjungle]

...embezzlement of nearly $1 million from the nonprofit's accounts and an alleged cover-up of the theft for almost a decade...

Hmmm.... was Obama involved then?

[NRA2BFree]

That’s great news! I’ve wanted a federal investigation of ACORN for several years, but I never dreamed it would come from within. I hope a whole bunch of them go to jail, and I hope Obamanation is one of them. Would’t that be a hoot? LOL Of course, I know it will never happen, but I can dream, can’t I? ***sigh***

[Bullish]

All efforts to bring any ACORNY'S to justice will be shut down by Obama's incoming Justice dept.

Or should I say injustice dept?

[HighlyOpinionated]

What ever it takes to end the tyranny of ACORN!

[TexasM1A]

It will never happen, to do so would be “racist”.
And everyone here knows how that word makes certain people just wet themselves with fear and apprehension.