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ACORN’s Pension Shell Games

You’d think ACORN was a labor union, considering the trouble it’s in for dipping into its workers’ retirement funds.

(Page 2 of 2)

“Forgiveness of the debt caused by the embezzlement may harm the participants and beneficiaries of the current ACORN health care and pension plans,” he says. “If the money was not paid back it may put at risk the funding necessary for ACORN retirees or the healthcare of ACORN employees.”

The report from Republican investigators on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about corruption within ACORN — including the embezzlement and cover-up saga — was blunt.

Those staffers found that by “intentionally blurring the legal distinctions between 361 tax-exempt and non-exempt entities, ACORN diverts taxpayer and tax-exempt monies into partisan political activities.”

They described ACORN as “a shell game played in 120 cities, 43 states and the District of Columbia through a complex structure designed to conceal illegal activities, to use taxpayer and tax-exempt dollars for partisan political purposes, and to distract investigators.” The ACORN network’s abusive interlocking directorates are deliberately organized to help ACORN escape legal and public scrutiny. “ACORN hides behind a paper wall of nonprofit corporate protections to conceal a criminal conspiracy on the part of its directors, to launder federal money in order to pursue a partisan political agenda and to manipulate the American electorate.”

Of the pension fund improprieties, committee investigators “concluded that ACORN plundered employee benefits and violated fiduciary responsibilities under ERISA by relieving corporate debts through prohibited loans to a related party.”

The investigators added:

Moreover, ACORN affiliates lack independent control of their own assets and maintain shoddy accounting practices that serve to hide ACORN’s secret and illegal use of monies. ACORN conspired to conceal information concerning prohibited transactions from its board in violation of its corporate charter. ACORN’s termination of board members who sought to uncover its illegal activities perpetuates a cover-up at the expense of adherence to its own bylaws.”

Americans are paying attention. They want answers to these questions but it is unclear when or if Congress and the Obama administration, which has strong ties to ACORN, will act.

As I wrote previously, longtime ACORN operative Patrick Gaspard now holds the title of White House political affairs director, one of the titles Karl Rove held in President Bush’s White House. Evidence shows that years before he joined the Obama administration, Gaspard was ACORN boss Bertha Lewis’s political director in New York. Of all the entries in Lewis’s rolodex, the entry for Gaspard is the most extensive. Erick Erickson and Moe Lane have also done a good job connecting the dots between Gaspard, ACORN, and President Obama.

When I unveiled the memo last week I referred to it as the Holy Grail of ACORN research. I was not exaggerating. It is to date the most significant smoking gun of a document to emerge from the developing ACORN scandal.

I should note here that I neglected to mention in the article unveiling the memo that its authenticity was confirmed by ACORN insiders. The only irregularities related to it are the incorrect fax time stamps and the missing page. I have no idea why the missing page isn’t there. Perhaps it will turn up. I never had it. As for the fax time stamps, many people don’t keep the date and time current on their fax machines. Presumably that’s what happened in this case.

I haven’t heard a peep from either ACORN or Kingsley’s law firm, Harmon, Curran, Spielberg Eisenberg LLP, disputing the authenticity of this memo that was referenced and excerpted — but not published in full — by the New York Times last fall. (The Kingsley memo is available as a PDF file at BigGovernment.com.)

That speaks volumes.

Page:   12

About the Author

Matthew Vadum is an award-winning investigative journalist at a conservative watchdog group in Washington, D.C. Vadum is also author of Subversion Inc: How Obama’s ACORN Red Shirts are Still Terrorizing and Ripping Off American Taxpayers.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (89) |

Pingback| 10.7.09 @ 6:20AM

The American Spectator : ACORN's Pension Shell Games links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…were taken from ABA using ACORN’s American Express card. This displacement of funding led to the creation of a complex repayment system in which … See original here: The American Spectator : ACORN's Pension Shell Games Share and Enjoy: October 7th, 2009 | Tags: acorn, american, editor, facebook, games, Health, memo, new-articles, News, price-fixing, stumbleupon, the-rush-rams, the-undecider |…

Marc Jeric| 10.7.09 @ 6:34AM

Bertha Lewis. the current boss of ACORN, is a typical candidate for the future American Gulag boss - when her current local soviets (community organizations) are ready for the coming revolution, helped along by the SEIU union thugs. They only lack appropriate armaments.

Pingback| 10.7.09 @ 6:40AM

The American Spectator : ACORN's Pension Shell Games | Masti Network - A News and Inf links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…from ABA using ACORN’s American Express card. This displacement of funding led to the creation of a complex repayment system in which … Go here to see the original:  The American Spectator : ACORN's Pension Shell Games Translate this post                                            …

Pingback| 10.7.09 @ 10:23AM

Twitter Trackbacks for The American Spectator : ACORN's Pension Shell Games [spectat links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Philip Klein amspec American Spectator 112 Show more Shortened Links Linking to the spectator.org page http://bit.ly/1DhYHO info http://bit.ly/4dIEnM info   2 tweets Tweet The American Spectator : ACORN's Pension Shell Games spectator.org/archives/2009/10/07/acorns-pension-shell-games – view page – cached ACORN appears to have been involved in improper use of pension funds and this…

Trackback| 10.7.09 @ 10:33AM

ACORN's Pension Shell Games, on www.govcorruptionwatch.com, links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

ACORN appears to have been involved in improper use of pension funds and this lawbreaking may yet land some of its officials in serious legal difficulties.

Tom| 10.7.09 @ 11:58AM

ACORN needs a little RICO

trapper| 10.7.09 @ 11:59AM

Why are they receiving my taxpayer money. Perhaps the most vile action a government can make is to take money from a person and then use that money against him politically. And that is what is being done when Acorn is given taxpayer money.

Pingback| 10.7.09 @ 12:14PM

The American Spectator : ACORN's Pension Shell Games | Rent Video Games Cheap links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…October 7th, 2009 | Tags: acorn, american, editor, facebook, games , Health, memo, new-articles, News, price-fixing, stumbleupon, the-rush-rams, … Read the original here: The American Spectator : ACORN's Pension Shell Games Related posts: Piston Slap: Shell Games | The Truth About Cars TTAC Commentator Golden2husky writes: I have a Piston Slap question... America's Nuclear Games | The Pakistani…

Pingback| 10.7.09 @ 1:22PM

ACORN’s Liar-in-Chief Blames Everyone Except Herself « NewsReal Blog links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…more than 400,000, but you can’t just round up from an indefinite figure like “over 400,000.” Those are just a few of Lewis’ lies from yesterday. Nor did Lewis say much about her own role in covering up the embezzlement perpetrated by founder Wade Rathke ’s brother. After news of the theft broke, Lewis drove out honest ACORN national board members who dared to ask questions.…

Pingback| 10.7.09 @ 3:10PM

The American Spectator : ACORN's Pension Shell Games links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…and Enjoy: October 7th, 2009 | Tags: acorn, american, editor, facebook, games , Health, memo, new-articles, News, price-fixing, stumbleupon, the-rush-rams, … View post:  The American Spectator : ACORN's Pension Shell Games Other Related Posts: No Comments Posting your comment. Leave a reply name (required) email ( will not be shown ) (required) website Make Money Blogging Discover the Magic Formula…

Richard Baker| 10.7.09 @ 7:23PM

ACORN is using a Ouija board to speak with Jimmy Hoffa on pension funding and investments.

Pingback| 10.7.09 @ 8:27PM

ACORN’s Liar-in-Chief Blames Everyone Except Herself | Prayer And Action links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…means. Yes, 500,000 is more than 400,000, but you can’t just round up from an indefinite figure like “over 400,000.” Those are just a few of Lewis’ lies from yesterday. Nor did Lewis say much about her own role in covering up the embezzlement perpetrated by founder Wade Rathke ’s brother. After news of the theft broke, Lewis drove out honest ACORN national board members who dared to ask questions. Lewis, who…

Pingback| 2.22.10 @ 2:52PM

» ACORN Crime Family Renames New York Chapter - Big Government links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…are in no way limited to: *a nearly $1 million embezzlement by the founder’s brother that was covered up for eight years while the brother (Dale Rathke) remained on the ACORN payroll *misuse of pension funds *commingling of public funds *illegal loan from ERISA-covered pension fund *failure to pay excise tax on illegal loan *use of public funds on partisan activities *money laundering ACORN doesn’t…

Pingback| 2.22.10 @ 4:43PM

ACORN’s Latest Trick: Shutdown and Rename « Mayrant&rave links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…but are in no way limited to: *a nearly $1 million embezzlement by the founder’s brother that was covered up for eight years while the brother (Dale Rathke) remained on the ACORN payroll *misuse of pension funds *commingling of public funds *illegal loan from ERISA-covered pension fund *failure to pay excise tax on illegal loan *use of public funds on partisan activities *money laundering ACORN doesn’t care…

Pingback| 2.22.10 @ 6:09PM

ACORN’s Relentless Push To Deceive Taxpayers Continues | NewsReal Blog links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…no way limited to: *a nearly $1 million embezzlement by the brother of founder Wade Rathke  that was covered up for eight years while the brother (Dale Rathke) remained on the ACORN payroll *misuse of pension funds *commingling of public funds *illegal loan from ERISA-covered pension fund *failure to pay excise tax on illegal loan *use of public funds on partisan activities *money laundering ACORN doesn’t care…

Pingback| 2.22.10 @ 7:14PM

Capital Research Center: links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…but are in no way limited to: *a nearly $1 million embezzlement by the founder’s brother that was covered up for eight years while the brother (Dale Rathke) remained on the ACORN payroll *misuse of pension funds *commingling of public funds *illegal loan from ERISA-covered pension fund *failure to pay excise tax on illegal loan *use of public funds on partisan activities *money laundering ACORN doesn’t care…

Pingback| 2.22.10 @ 7:23PM

Exclusive: Statement From Rep. King on ACORN Collapse: Also ACORN changing names « Da links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…but are in no way limited to: *a nearly $1 million embezzlement by the founder’s brother that was covered up for eight years while the brother (Dale Rathke) remained on the ACORN payroll *misuse of pension funds *commingling of public funds *illegal loan from ERISA-covered pension fund *failure to pay excise tax on illegal loan *use of public funds on partisan activities *money laundering ACORN doesn’t care…

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