Menendez donor leveraged ‘Occupy’ movement to take aim at Bank of America

The wealthy Florida eye doctor linked with Sen. Bob Menendez through copious cash donations and a private jet launched an anti-capitalist “astroturf” campaign to leverage the Occupy Wall Street Movement against Bank of America.

Dr. Salomon Melgen’s organization, called Too Big To Care, was “inspired by the passion Occupy Wall Street Movement,” according to an October 2011 press release and “designed to provide a platform for the stories of 99%ers to be told and their voices heard.”

The organization’s sparsely used Facebook account registered “likes” for occupy encampments in 40 different cities. But with few followers and friends on Twitter and Facebook, the Too Big To Care platform doesn’t appear to have gained momentum other than a few social media mentions from Occupy Miami.

But a grassroots effort may have been less important to Melgen than pressuring his allies on the Senate Banking Committee for new regulations. His friend and political beneficiary Sen. Menendez has sat on the banking committee since he joined the Senate in 2005.

Melgen has called himself a “victim” of Wall Street “greed.” In 2005 he sued Banc of America Securities, then an investment subsidiary of Bank of America, after he lost $15 million in what he claimed was securities fraud. He alleged that his entire investment was transferred into the account of a failed trader in order to help him cover a margin call...

Thanks 2ndDivisionVet.

The wealthy Florida eye doctor linked with Sen. Bob Menendez through copious cash donations and a private jet launched an anti-capitalist “astroturf” campaign to leverage the Occupy Wall Street Movement against Bank of America... called Too Big To Care... "designed to provide a platform for the stories of 99%ers to be told and their voices heard." ...doesn’t appear to have gained momentum other than a few social media mentions from Occupy Miami.

That's because it turns out that none of the Occutards *had* stories to tell, other than "I raped her in her tent", "I sold a ton of dope", and "I crapped on a cop car."

This guy's got money to burn. How does a local doctor get enough money to make multi-million dollar investments---buy and maintain a private jet---own proprerty in Miami and a lavish resort compound in the Dominicam Republic---PLUS give hundrds of thousands of dollars to politicians AND buy a business said to be worth $500 million?

There are only so many hours in the day to perform eye surgery---his source of income. Yet, he seems to be always flying back and forth here and there---socializing with pols---partyimg----and so.on.

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THIS JUST IN Harvard, Yale Have No Record of Dr. Salomon Melgen Attending, Despite His Claims

Contrary to his website and resume, big-name institutions including Harvard, Yale and the Univ of Missouri have claimed they have no record of professional or educational history with Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, MD, who is under two separate federal investigations for Medicare fraud and a political scandal involving a Democratic senator, according to a report by the Washington Free Beacon.

Dr. Melgen's biography (pdf) on his website claims he graduated from Harvard, was the chief resident of ophthalmology at the Univ of Missouri, and held a Yale internship, but all three denied any record to support his credentials, according to the report.

Dr. Melgen, an active fundraiser for the Democratic Party, is under fire after it was discovered that he and US Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), improperly reported frequent trips to the Dominican Republic, and allegedly hired underage Dominican prostitutes for sex parties. © Copyright ASC COMMUNICATIONS 2012.

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