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Well they finally did it to themselves. At least now, and at least in one state, Democrat politicians are starting to feel the effects of the type of accounting fraud they committed on the country for the last three years.  As the Obama “It’s-not-my-fault” Reelection Tour rumbles westward spewing diesel-powered and politically enhanced particulate matter, charges of fraud are overhanging the Democrats’ fall campaign in California. But the charges aren’t the familiar “I see dead people voting” scams that usually accompany left-leaning races. Instead they are fraud charges of the Madoff kind.California Democrat uber-finance guru, Kinde Durkee, apparently has been...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Stunning accusations that a top California Democratic campaign treasurer looted the war chests of her big-name clients have left candidates across the state scrambling to raise more money as election season looms. Kinde Durkee, who controlled the funds of roughly 400 candidates and groups, ranging from Senator Dianne Feinstein to local Democratic youth clubs, was arrested in September and charged with fraud. While the extent of the losses isn't yet clear, the coffers of dozens of Democratic politicians have been frozen, prompting the crippled campaigns to ask the California Fair Political Practices Commission to permit further...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein's re-election campaign estimated on Friday that she is missing nearly $4.7 million because of unauthorized disbursements by her former campaign treasurer, Kinde Durkee. The campaign filed its first report with the Federal Election Commission since Durkee's arrest last month, providing the first official glimpse of the potential financial toll on candidates who employed the longtime Democratic campaign treasurer. Feinstein's campaign reported that it has nearly $6 million in the bank, but that's mostly due to a $5 million loan Feinstein injected into the account after the embezzlement case broke. The campaign believed it had...

Commission Looks At Campaign Finance Changes After ScandalKinde Durkee Accused Of Embezzling From State Political Campaigns UPDATED: 5:21 pm PDT October 4, 2011 SAN DIEGO -- Various interest groups jockeyed at a California Fair Political Practices Commission hearing last week as commissioners debate changing campaign finance rules in response to the Kinde Durkee embezzlement scandal, but the agency first must determine whether the changes would require new legislation. FPPC Chairwoman Ann Ravel suggested the agency institute stricter training requirements for campaign treasurers and post results of investigations of treasurers on its website. The commission was soliciting public comment from people...

Feinstein campaign sues bank, ex-treasurer over missing fundsBy Mary Slosson LOS ANGELES | Fri Sep 23, 2011 9:59pm EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Senator Dianne Feinstein's campaign sued its former treasurer and the First California Bank on Friday, seeking the return of millions of dollars in missing funds the campaign believes were embezzled. Campaign officials said the action came after the bank failed to provide the campaign access to its own account records when a tangle of unauthorized money transfers and co-mingling of funds was unearthed. The irregularities were spread across 400 bank accounts and dozens of organizations over a...

Some 200 California Democrat clients have fallen victim to a Madoff in their midst. Could it turn the state light blue? It's said that word-of-mouth advertising is the best kind. It certainly worked for Ms. Kinde Durkee for more than 12 years. It would still be working if she hadn't helped herself to some of her clients' bank accounts once too often. Durkee's nearly 200 clients weren't stores and small factories. They were California Democratic office holders, candidates, and committees. For all those years she was the go-to person to be treasurer for any Democrat's campaign accounts. Campaign treasurers serve...

Dianne Feinstein told Politico that her campaign was "wiped out" by Democratic political operative Kinde Durkee, whom the FBI arrested last week. DiFi explained that Durkee worked on her 1992, 1994 and 2006 campaign. And: "I trusted her implicitly." Worse: Feinstein said she and her campaign staff have been unable to access all their bank records at this point because Durkee alone controlled access to the account, which has made it difficult for them to assess how much money is gone. Two other similarly dissatisfied clients are California Democratic Reps. Susan Davis, who called Durkee "the Bernie Madoff of campaign...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she was “wiped out” by Kinde Durkee, a well-connected California Democratic political operative who served as treasurer for hundreds of state, local and federal campaign committees.Durkee was arrested by the FBI on Sept. 2 on allegations of fraud surrounding the diversion of more than $670,000 from the reelection committee for a California state assemblyman, and a growing list of California Democrats, including Feinstein and Reps. Susan Davis and Loretta Sanchez, now appear to victims as well.“I was wiped out too, we don’t know how much,” said Feinstein, indicating the losses in campaign funds could run...

Many big-name Democratic politicians used the services of a top campaign treasurer even though she had a history of fines and investigation into how she used the funds of elected officials. Kinde Durkee was arrested on federal fraud charges this month, accused of taking thousands of dollars from the campaigns of various elected officials. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove), a Durkee client, said her campaign fund was nearly cleaned out, and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party reported that more than $200,000 had been taken from its fund. Although many Democratic insiders said they were shocked by Durkee's arrest, it...

Veteran California campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee "nearly wiped out" the $379,000 in Rep. Loretta Sanchez's campaign war chest, Politico's Jonathan Allen and John Bresnahan report. "What we've learned this week is that unfortunately, the amount in our reelect account is substantially less than the amount we've raised this year, as well as the amount reflected in the records sent to us by Durkee & Associates," Sanchez chief of staff Adrienne Elrod told Politico. "In fact, our account has been nearly wiped out." Durkee was arrested by the FBI on Friday on mail fraud charges. The feds said she used campaign...

Federal authorities have arrested an accountant who has served as treasurer on hundreds of political campaigns, the Ocean County Register reports. Kindee Durkee, whose clients have included Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) as well as state legislators and L.A. City Council members, is being held on mail fraud charges. Durkee is expected to make her first court appearance on Tuesday. The charge against her is reportedly related to her work with a member of the California assembly, but the full criminal complaint against her has not yet been posted. Durkee was arrested at the office of...

The Orange County Register is reporting that federal authorities have arrested a Burbank-based campaign treasurer for a number of Democratic politicians, including U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Garden Grove.

A prominent Democratic campaign treasurer who works for federal, state and O.C. lawmakers including U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Rep. Loretta Sanchez and state Assemblymen Lou Correa and Jose Solorio has been arrested by the FBI on suspicion of mail fraud, The Orange County Register has learned. U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Thom Mrozek confirmed Saturday afternoon that Kinde Durkee of Burbank-based Durkee and Associates, was arrested by the FBI on a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento. Special Agent Steve Dupre of the bureau’s Sacramento office said she was arrested in connection with her position as a...