By Karl Bremer © Copyright 2010
A nationwide arrest warrant for identity fraud has been issued by an Ohio court for a suspect formerly known as Bobby Charles Thompson, commander-on-the-lam of the shady U.S. Navy Veterans Association.
One of the last likely public appearances made by “Thompson” since he disappeared months ago was at an April 7 Minneapolis fundraiser for Congresswoman Michele Bachmann that featured former half-term governor Sarah Palin. “Thompson” donated $10,000 to Bachmann’s congressional campaign on that date, which would have qualified him for a table for 10 at the fundraiser, as well as a photo shoot with the two Tea Party queens.
“Our investigators have determined that this individual stole the identity of someone else and used that as the centerpiece of an apparent scam that has continued for seven years and involved tens of millions of dollars,” Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray said. “The real Bobby Thompson, whose identity was stolen, including his Social Security number and date of birth, has absolutely no connection to the U.S. Navy Veterans Association. We don't know who this individual is yet, but we do know that he is not Bobby Thompson.”
“Bobby Thompson” was listed as the CFO of the Minnesota Chapter of the USNVA until 2009. The chapter raised over $1.56 million in Minnesota from 2004-2009 and folded mysteriously in May, citing pending legal problems for the organization. For reasons yet unknown, “Thompson” lavished tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions on Minnesota Republicans. Besides the $10,000 to Bachmann, he gave:
- $21,500 to Republican Norm Coleman’s Senate re-election campaign from 2006-2008
- $7,000 to the Minnesota House Republican Campaign Committee in 2008-2009
- $10,400 to the Republican Party of Minnesota from 2008-2010
- $500 to former Rep. Marty Seifert’s Seifert for Governor Campaign in 2009
- $500 to Republican David J. Carlson’s Citizens for David Carlson committee in House District 67B in 2008.
The USNVA is under investigation in at least seven states and also by the IRS and Department of Veterans Affairs. The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board is investigating a different—and potentially fraudulent—$500 campaign contribution to former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert in 2009 that’s linked to the USNVA.
According to a press release issued by Cordray’s office:
The Hamilton County arrest warrant is based on evidence that this individual used a false identity in the process of renting a UPS mailbox in Cincinnati in 2003. The mailbox was used as a collection point for donations to the charity. Since 2003, Ohioans have contributed close to $1.9 million to the U.S. Navy Veterans Association.
On May 28, Cordray ordered the USNVA to stop contacting Ohio residents for contributions after determining that the group's registration documents were plagued with irregularities. Those documents contain false and misleading information, including the names of association officers who also appear to be fictional.
In recent weeks, the Charitable Law section of the Ohio Attorney General's Office has obtained court orders freezing the Ohio bank accounts of the USNVA as well as the organization's UPS mailboxes in Hamilton and Fairfield counties.
There appears to be very little evidence that the organization spent money actually helping veterans or their families. Yet public records do show hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions to various candidates made by “Bobby Thompson” personally or through the political action committee he created and to which he was the sole contributor, NAVPAC.
The Minnesota Chapter of the USNVA also operated out of a UPS mailbox, on Grand Avenue in St. Paul—one of three UPS drop boxes given to the state Attorney General’s Office in its charitable organization filings. The Chapter’s physical address was never verified in the entire six years it operated in Minnesota.
The Ohio arrest warrant comes on the heels of federal and state agents swooping down on the home of alleged former associates of Thompson’s in Florida July 30 to seize documents and computer records.
The Ohio arrest warrant was issued by Hamilton County Municipal Court and orders “Thompson” to appear on charges of identity fraud. A detective’s affidavit accompanying the arrest warrant alleges that “Thompson” fraudulently used the Florida identification card of a Bobby Charles Thompson now living in Washington to open a UPS post office box in Cincinnati in April 2003. It also alleges that “Thompson” fraudulently solicited charitable contributions in excess of $100,000 in Ohio from 2003-2010; fraudulently filed annual reports with the state; and falsely stated that the UPS drop box was the organization’s primary Ohio office.
Although Thompson’s operations in Minnesota appear to be virtually identical to his operations in Ohio, Florida, Virginia and other states where he has been shut down and investigated, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office has refused to respond to repeated inquiries about whether an investigation is underway here.
If anyone saw “Bobby Thompson” at the April 7 Bachmann fundraiser, or has seen him anywhere else, they are urged to contact the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation at 740.845.2224 or 800.282.3784. More information on “Thompson” can be found here.
Karl Bremer is a freelance writer in Stillwater, MN. He can be reached at saintcroix [at] aol.com.
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