Computers, Records Seized At ACORN Offices In La.

NEW ORLEANS — State investigators raided ACORN offices on Friday, taking away computer hard drives and documents as part of a probe into alleged embezzlement and tax fraud when the organization's national headquarters was based in New Orleans.

"This is an investigation of everything – ACORN, the national organization, the local organization and all of its affiliated entities, specifically as it relates to any potential violations of Louisiana law," Assistant Attorney General David Caldwell said.

ACORN staff on the scene declined to comment, but an attorney for the group said in a statement the raid was prompted by allegations that former ACORN employees had removed or altered electronic documents and may do so in the future.

Attorney Pamela Marple said ACORN was cooperating and called the raid exhaustive, saying investigators wanted "virtually every document in the possession of ACORN and any related entity."

The raid was the latest development for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Videotapes released recently showed ACORN employees offering tax advice to two people in Baltimore posing as a prostitute and her pimp. The videos led Congress and state governments to cut funding for ACORN.

State prosecutors said their probe into the New Orleans offices stemmed from allegations made last year by board members involving embezzlement at ACORN nearly a decade ago.

ACORN last year settled an internal dispute and a lawsuit involving accusations that Dale Rathke, the brother of the group's founder, Wade Rathke, made around $948,000 in improper credit card charges in 1999 and 2000. The Rathke family and a donor repaid the money and no charges were ever brought.

Last month, Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, the father of David Caldwell, said he would step up an investigation into allegations that the embezzlement may have been as high as $5 million.

ACORN said the $5 million figure was "a worst-case scenario" for what the embezzlement potentially could cost the group.

For 33 years, ACORN's national headquarters was based in New Orleans after Wade Rathke moved here in the 1970s from Little Rock, Ark., where he started the organization. The embezzlement scandal led the organization to move its headquarters to Washington, D.C., earlier this year, a move that allowed the national organization to distance itself from the Rathkes.

David Caldwell said he did not know which former ACORN employees removed the computers.

"We're going to grab the stuff, make copies," he said, "and get it all back to them so whatever entities are doing business with them are able to do so."

___

Associated Press writer Janet McConnaughey contributed to this report.

Comments

[jeremyfive]

Must be the work of America's Best Known Sex Criminal David Vitter who is so angered by the fact that Acorn would propose a hypothetical sex ring, in contrast to his own sexual perversion and crimnal behavior.

Man, that sex criminal Republican Senator David Vitter has quite set of big ones, leading the attacK on a grass roots voting organization, knowing full well that he breaks the laws of the country by visiting prostitutes and indulging in illegal sexual activities.

Then Republican Senator David Vitter stands before the nation condemning Acorn! That takes cohones, giving his own CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR that has thus far gone unpunished, even by the bar association that forbids his CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, SEXUAL AND OTHERWISE.

How about we disbar the sex criminals and get them out of Congress, starting with Republican senator David Vitter, then we can get into the finer points of errors made by grassroots organizations in urban neighborhoods.

Get Republican Senator and Sex Criminal David Vitter out of Congress. Does Louisiana have now shame, being represented by a well known sex criminal?

[Zeus9000]

Do you have a druch on Repuiblican Senator David Vitter?

Get over it, He is gone, an changing the subject from what is posted in the article will not make it go away.

But if you inist on going down this road, look up these names:

Gus Savage
Fred Richmond
Gerry Studds
Mel Reynolds
Gary Condit
Jim McGreevey
Neil Goldschmidt

I have a lot more names if you want them...

[cheeriogirl]

Acorn is despised by Republicans because Acorn registers voters. Generally poor voters, who lean strongly Democratic. That is the reason for the "moral" outrage against Acorn, from the party who has shown us by their actions that they have NO morals left.

If they can "bust" Acorn, then they are counting on the poor either not voting, or at least not voting Democratic as strongly.

It's always something with the Republican party. I learned years ago NOT to take anything they do or say at face value, because there is ALWAYS an agenda just under the surface.

[Zeus9000]

They also throw out republican voter registration forms... YEAH for ACORN!

[fairplaystacy]

zeus9000

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, a Republican, said last year that ... if anyone was defrauded, it was ACORN,
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/383894_acornvoters18.html?source=mypi

There is a big difference between FACTCHECK.ORG and your right wing online news journal.
Here is a special gift for you - Acorn Washington State agreement
http://www.secstate.wa.gov/office/pdf/Settlement%20and%20Compliance%20Agreement.pdf

...and a bonus document that I'm sure will warm your heart...

Here is a GOP Congressional staff report that asks the question: IS ACORN INTENTIONALLY STRUCTURED AS A CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE? No answers just questions

The report correctly cites the following:

... 70 ACORN employees have been convicted in 12 states for voter REGISTRATION fraud, though no federal charges have been filed against ACORN's directors.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/8830616/House-Oversight-Committee-report-on-ACORN
The report blends proven and alleged offenses in 88 pages.

What you presented was a link to a woman who no one knows, she did not give testimony under oath and no court or jury has decided that the words coming out of her mouth are true. Again in Junior High School you should have learned that Courts, judges, prosecutors and juries convict people NOT newspapers or online journals or even an angry mob, including prolific obtuse HuffPo commentators like you. GOT IT

Fathiyyah Muhammad cannot corroborate her story, there's no active case using her testimony. She didn't get paid so ACORN has no record of her.

[fairplaystacy]

Hey Zeus9000 I know someone who's interested in offering you a good price for the Brooklyn Bridge, deep discount.

What did your mom tell you about believing everything you believe on the internet???

incorrigible....

[cheeriogirl]

Wake me when the Repubs go after KBR.

[sparky73]

Rethugs proving once again they are r@cist.

[Sensiblebg]

Right. An Indian Governor authorized a Democrat Atty General to do this and its all about race right? Plz.

[sparky73]

ACORN helps black people and the rethugs want to destroy a great organization so yes I would call it racists

[Zeus9000]

Whoops! There goes the racist card again! Is that the best you have?

[puffhost]

Jindal is playing politics plain and simple. He wants to run, has to stay (get) relevant, and needs a leg up.

[Y3rMawm]

The Republicrats keep the guard dogs divided, fighting over a bone. Meantime the criminals walk off with the loot. Only liberty can unite.

Shuffling chairs on the deck of the Titanic.

[OpposingViewpoint]

The Titanic is history, the USS America is the ship we are now embarked upon, the ship that is taking on water and listing to starboard, the ship manned by a malfeasent crew, a crew too consumed by infighting to provide competent steerage. Yeah, the USS America is the ship I am concerned about, and so should you be concerened.

[sviolette]

It took you long enough to get concerned. The ship has been listing for years while you ignored it. Now you want everyone to start bailing.

[fairplaystacy]

If Halliburton had only half of the investigations that Acorn has already survived their doors would be closed and tax payers could have saved billions and some soldiers would still be alive and some women wouldn't have been raped.

[kathy001]

No doubt about that. No doubt, at all.

[Aranxa]

Got that right.

[twofish]

That's why they moved to Dubai. Subpoenas? We don't got to honor no stinkin' subpoenas.

[Foxrocks]

ACORN hasn't been investigated yet, not once. They had employees tried and convicted of various crimes while working for ACORN, but the organizations itself has never faced criminal investigation.

[StormWarrior]

TimnySlagle wrote:

Dat's right!

Dere ain't no Mafia eider...
==========­==========­==========­==========­==========­==========­======

racist much?

[strangelet]

The Assistant Attorney General is the SON of the Attorney General? Do they have no anti-nepotism laws in Louisiana?

I guess that's a rhetorical question.

[Y3rMawm]

That's all politics is....gumbint friends and family plan

[noaxe397]

The strategy by the GOP here is to make it APPEAR as if Acorn the organization, has done something wrong.

If you raid enough offices and those words are splashed across the media everyday, then, innocent or guilty, there will always be a taint about the group.

It was like back in the 90s when the GOP demanded Janet Reno appoint another special prosecutor, then another, then another.

How many Clinton era special prosecutors every convicted someone on the charges they brought?



But, and many conservative pundits actually said this, why bother with a trial; the grand jury indictment is all we need.

[Y3rMawm]

Yeah, because promoting child prostitution won't stand on it's own.

[kathy001]

Let me guess, you think headlines contain all the information you need. Why bother reading the full story when you can make snap judgements based on one-liners. It saves so much time.

[noaxe397]

The racists and anti semites we now KNOW make up the Republican party are at it again.

This is being done at the state level in a state recently flipped from blue to red through the actions of Curl Rowe who was put in charge at the WH of post Katrina operations.

What the Republican racists don't get, because home schooling does that to you, is these are alleged crimes committed AGAINST Acorn; not BY Acorn.

If an accountant at Coca Cola embezzles a million dollars, does the state put Coca Cola Corp on trial or the accountant?

Liberals, wake up! This is the first salvo in the type of election fraud the GOP will use to insure they never lose again.

But, hey, to a racist, when it comes to black people, potato, potahtoe, it's all the same thing.

[huffposeur]

of all the ignorant partisan racists on this board you are at the top. congratulations

[javajava]

There is more truth in that post than most can see. Open your mind a little.

[kathy001]

"This is the first salvo in the type of election fraud the GOP will use to insure they never lose again."

I agree that this is what they are trying to do. It's up to us to make sure they don't get away with it.

[Betrayed]

ACORN is a political mafia.

[doctordawg]

Someone STEALS million from ACORN and ACORN is the problem?

[greeneyes51654m]

The problem is that ACORN steals from themselves which means that they are stealing taxpayer money.

[OpposingViewpoint]

Hey doc, this wasn't just "someone" that allegedly made off with a least a $ million, it was the "FOUNDERS BROTHER". Get your dog to take a bite of that.

[RRK70]

and Diebold Voting systems aren't?

[jmyoung666]

I see the anti-ACORN wingnuts are out in force.

I just donated more money and I hope most of you that support this great community organization do so as well.

[JulieSA]

You've wasted your money. It'll go to some shell outfit used for who knows what.

[Rumplestiltskin]

I'm glad you support organizations you think fitting. Clue - just don't steal my tax money to give to them, K?

[Mas]

The ogranization ACORN assist the poor, so they must be a bad organization. When it comes to activities to deny Americans the vote, the phone banks disruptions, phoney letters, and etc, not one office that support the republican efforts have been raided. They have convicted personnel who admitted to what they were doing.

[Loveforlife]

Yeah. The poor hookers and pimps.

[doctordawg]

Did you watch the video? The"hooker and pimp" used every sneaky metaphor in the book. They didn't walk in and say "we're hookers and pimps and want to cheat on our taxes." It took a long time for them to get around to their fake story before they were booted out of the office.

Oh, and the "hooker and pimp" broke the law for real by illegally recording their fake conversations. But the law only applies to ACORN I suppose.

[MacQ]

Dream on. ACORN is a voter fraud outfit for starters. Nothing about people being denied the vote. It's about creating votes.
It's also a money funneling outfit guilty of huge fraud.
How anyone can defend that organization is beyond the pale.

[noaxe397]

Acorn cannot "create votes." They can only get people to fill out registration cards. Only the state can register a voter. Why does Acorn submit voter registration cards with the names S. Claus and M Mouse?

Because, now follow closely, BY LAW they must. As would a private Republican voter registration drive.

Otherwise, what would happen is exactly what did happen in CA last year when conservatives groups conducted voter drives and threw away the cards marked where the person wanted to register as a Democrat.

The only one hurt by submitting a card with the name S Claus or M Mouse is Acorn because they paid the canvasser and the canvasser did not do his job.

The state would not register S Claus or M Mouse to vote, so there is no voter fraud

Now, you want to talk ELECTION fraud? Now you're talking RNC down the line.

[JulieSA]

There are many non-criminal orgs that assist the poor. ACORN is criminal from the top down.

[strangelet]

Cite evidence, please.

[TimnySlagle]

Embezzlement, fraudulent tax schemes, voter fraud.

How many cr!m!nal charges need to be filed against an organization before it's recognized as a "cr!m!nal organization?'

[fairplaystacy]

it's based on the number of convictions in America buddy not the number of charges, investigations, newspaper headlines, indictments, etc. etc.

Acorn has zero convictions and states all around the country spend tons of money charging them with crimes to convince people like YOU, on the spectacle of HEADLINES ONLY that they are criminal. Thank goodness that's not how our justice system works.

from factcheck.org

We find no evidence to support the claim that ACOR N is guilt y of ballo t fraud. Workers
for ACORN have been accused re peatedly o f voter re gistration fraud. Bu t the larg est
case to da te found t hat ACORN had actual ly been ch eated by w orkers who listed fa ke
names inst ead of can vassing fo r real, un registered voters. T he Republi can prosec uting
attorney i n the case said, “This scheme was not in tended to permit ill egal votin g.
Instead, t he defenda nts cheate d their em ployer to get paid f or work th ey did not
actually p erform.” A s for the Obama camp aign’s donations to a front‐gr oup, it’s true the
campaign p aid Citize ns Service s Incorpor ated, whic h is affil iated with ACORN, $8 00,000
dollars fo r a get‐out‐the‐vote effort, which is not to be confused wit h voter re gistration .

http://www.factcheck.org/imagefiles/Just%20the%20Facts%20Scripts/Episode42_FINAL.pdf

so S.T.F.U.

[Lee Andrew]

Thanks.

[Loveforlife]

You say factcheck, I say Annenberg.

[JulieSA]

There leaders embezzled a million dollars, at least, possibly more. They don't pay their taxes. There have been numerous convictions on voter reg fraud and voter registration buying, and charges have been filed in Ohio and NY on voter fraud. An that's just a few things. They burglarize houses.

They launder charity money to be used for elections, illegally. That's why they have over 100 shell outfits.

Their leader continues to lie, over and over, to the media.

[Rumplestiltskin]

Why send them tax payer money? You want your dollars to go to the NRA. Same deal.

[Lee Andrew]

Think you better look at the GOP (Gang of Predators) for fraud. Start with Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004 and work your self into a tizzy. Thought so.

[laaambchop]

you mean as a corporation

[TheBaffler]

Charges are evidence of nothing. Present actual evidence showing they're guilty.