Are Democrats a political party or fraud operation first?

Oklahoma has a colorful history of public corruption scandals, often involving local officials, state contracts, and ethics lapses. While the massive 1980s County Commissioner scandal (over 230 convictions for kickbacks on road supplies) remains the state's all-time biggest, here are some of the juiciest from the past two decades.


Swadley's Foggy Bottom Kitchen Scandal​


This one exploded under Gov. Kevin Stitt's administration and became known as the "Tourism Scandal." The Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation awarded a no-bid contract to Swadley's Bar-B-Q to renovate and operate foggy bottom kitchens (restaurants) in state parks. Swadley's allegedly overbilled the state by millions (e.g., $4 million+ in inflated costs for equipment and work), leading to the contract's termination. Investigations revealed potential conflicts, sole-source bidding issues, and mismanagement. The state sued Swadley's (settlement talks involved taxpayers potentially covering costs), and it prompted ethics reform pushes. Attorney General Gentner Drummond cited it as an example of preventable self-dealing, with accusations of a cover-up to avoid embarrassing the administration.


Epic Charter Schools Fraud​


One of the largest education-related fraud cases in state history. Founders of the virtual charter school network allegedly embezzled tens of millions in public funds through self-dealing (e.g., routing money to their for-profit management company). Federal and state probes led to charges; it's tied to conflicts of interest and misuse of school funds.


State Auditor Jeff McMahan Conviction​


The state Auditor and Inspector (a Democrat) and his wife were convicted on federal corruption charges for accepting bribes/gifts from abstract companies in exchange for favorable audits. It highlighted influence-peddling in regulatory roles.


Legislative Bribery Cases​


A probe into job-swapping for political gain led to convictions of lawmakers like Rep. Randy Terrill (R) for bribery related to maneuvering a Senate seat and state job.


More recent cases include health care fraud takedowns, bank fraud by failed institution leaders, and nonprofit embezzlement (e.g., a 2025 indictment of a Black Lives Matter OKC leader for alleged wire fraud/money laundering). Oklahoma often ranks moderately high in per-capita public corruption convictions, with ongoing ethics debates (e.g., vetoed anti-corruption bills in 2025). These are documented via DOJ records, state audits, and legislative probes.
 
Again - all this fraud was a skim in the top of providing real value. That’s not what we are seeing in MN.
It’s very different but you’ll distract from the real issue which is all Somalians should be booted.
 
Missouri has had its share of high-profile political scandals, with a mix of sex, dark money, and corruption—though recent years feature more small-town embezzlement than massive Statehouse drama.


The Eric Greitens Saga (2017–2018, with echoes into 2022)​


This remains the juiciest modern one. Former Navy SEAL and rising GOP star Eric Greitens became governor in 2017 but resigned in 2018 amid explosive allegations:


  • An extramarital affair where he allegedly blindfolded and photographed his hairdresser naked without consent (to blackmail her into silence).
  • Campaign finance violations involving misuse of a charity donor list and dark money nonprofits.
  • Later accusations from his ex-wife (in 2022 custody filings) of physical abuse toward her and their children, plus unstable behavior.

Greitens denied wrongdoing, called it a "witch hunt," and attempted a Senate comeback in 2022 (but lost the primary). It featured taped confessions, impeachment threats, and national headlines—pure political soap opera.


Preferred Family Healthcare Bribery/Embezzlement Scandal (2010s–2020s)​


A Springfield-based nonprofit providing mental health and behavioral services embezzled millions and bribed officials (mostly in Arkansas, but headquartered and with ties in Missouri). Executives funneled funds for personal luxuries (private jets, luxury homes) and political kickbacks. The charity paid over $8 million in forfeiture/restitution in 2022; multiple executives and lawmakers were convicted. It highlighted nonprofit abuse of public funds across states.


St. Louis Aldermen Corruption Wave (2020s)​


Federal probes nailed several St. Louis Board of Aldermen members for bribery:


  • Former President Lewis Reed and others took cash, cars, and phones for favors on development deals (convictions in 2022).
  • It reinforced St. Louis's reputation for pay-to-play local politics.

Small-Town Embezzlement Epidemic (Ongoing, highlighted in 2025 reports)​


Missouri sees frequent cases of city clerks, administrators, and officials in rural areas stealing public funds (often due to lax controls). A 2025 investigation noted dozens of incidents tearing apart communities, with millions misappropriated over years.


Other mentions include ethics lapses around lobbyist gifts (Missouri has weak limits) and occasional legislative drama, but nothing as tabloid-ready as Greitens lately. These are backed by DOJ prosecutions, state audits, and court records.
 
Ohio's biggest and juiciest public corruption scandal in modern history is undoubtedly the House Bill 6 (HB6) nuclear bailout bribery scheme (uncovered in 2020, with ongoing developments through 2025). Federal prosecutors called it "likely the largest bribery and money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio."


The Scheme​


Akron-based utility giant FirstEnergy funneled approximately $60 million in dark money bribes (through a 501(c)(4) nonprofit) to then-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R) and his allies. In exchange, they pushed through HB6 in 2019—a $1.3 billion ratepayer-funded bailout for two failing nuclear plants (plus coal subsidies). The money funded Householder's political machine, elected supportive lawmakers, and crushed a ballot referendum to repeal the law.


Key Figures and Outcomes​


  • Larry Householder — Convicted of racketeering in 2023; sentenced to 20 years in federal prison (maximum penalty).
  • Former Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges — Convicted and sentenced to 5 years.
  • Former PUCO Chairman Sam Randazzo (appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine despite warnings) — Indicted for taking a $4.3 million bribe; died by suicide in April 2024.
  • Former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling — Indicted on state and federal charges; trials pending into 2025.
  • FirstEnergy — Admitted guilt in a deferred prosecution deal; paid $230 million federal fine, plus hundreds of millions more in settlements and penalties.

Recent Updates (2025)​


In late 2025, state regulators (PUCO) ordered FirstEnergy to pay over $250 million in refunds/forfeitures (with a proposed settlement bumping it toward $276 million in customer restitution), on top of prior penalties totaling nearly $400 million. Parts of HB6 lingered for years, costing ratepayers hundreds of millions, and critics note zero major ethics/dark money reforms passed by the GOP supermajority despite the fallout.


Other Scandals​


Older juicy ones include:


  • Coingate (2000s): Rare-coin investment scam draining state workers' comp funds.
  • Cincinnati City Hall bribery wave (2020): Multiple council members convicted in pay-to-play schemes.

But nothing matches HB6's scale, private jets to Trump inaugurations, secret texts, and suicides—it's been called Ohio's "corruption case of the century." Details substantiated via federal DOJ prosecutions,
 
West Virginia has a long-standing reputation for political corruption, often ranking high in federal convictions per capita. While older scandals (like vote-buying in Logan County or imprisoned governors) set the tone, here are some of the juiciest from recent decades.


The​


This stands out as one of the state's most dramatic modern episodes. The entire five-member West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals faced impeachment over lavish spending of taxpayer funds on office renovations amid a cash-strapped state. Highlights included:


  • Justice Allen Loughry's $32,000 blue suede couch, custom wooden inlaid floor medallion, and personal use of state vehicles/gas for book signings (his book? A tome on West Virginia political corruption—irony noted).
  • Justice Robin Davis's $500,000+ office overhaul.
  • Overpayments to senior-status judges and general abuse of authority.

The Republican-led House impeached all four sitting justices (one had already retired). Loughry was federally convicted on fraud/wire fraud charges and sentenced to two years; others resigned or saw charges dropped. Trials were halted on separation-of-powers grounds, but it reshaped the court and fueled partisan accusations of a power grab.


The​


A whistleblower's anonymous letter in 2022–2023 unleashed allegations of widespread misconduct, including:


  • Hidden cameras in women's locker rooms (potentially dating back decades).
  • Theft from casinos.
  • Cover-ups.
  • Drugging/kidnapping claims.
  • Overtime fraud.
  • Affairs.
  • Misuse of funds.

It led to the superintendent's forced resignation (later sued claiming political retaliation), internal/FBI probes, civil lawsuits, and Gov. Jim Justice famously saying, "The more we dug, the more it stunk." A 2025 lawsuit by the ex-superintendent revived drama, accusing top officials of hostility.


Mingo County "Team Mingo" Corruption (2010s, convictions into 2020s)​


A judge, sheriff, prosecutor, and magistrate conspired to rig the justice system (e.g., framing someone to protect drug-related dirt on the sheriff). Multiple prison sentences followed in this brazen small-county power abuse case.


Gov. Jim Justice (now U.S. Senator) has faced ongoing scrutiny over his family businesses' unpaid debts, mining fines (federal lawsuits for millions), and personal financial tangles—but no criminal convictions. These are documented via federal DOJ cases, state investigations, and court records. The state keeps delivering colorful governance drama!
 
You've done nothing - You haven't established why we should accept a foreign population with a much higher incidence of fraud than the native population that is responsible in one state for stealing 18B dollars.

All you did was look over a large swath of time and found ugly fraud where the community more often than not 'benefited' from the transactions (inefficiently) as opposed to what we have seen in Somalia (crap I meant Minnesota) where the population is very new and the fraud was straight theft greenlit by the state democrats.
 
I don't think Elon would approve you being appropriated for this purpose

Elon would probably get a kick out of it, actually.


He built me to be maximally truth-seeking, to help people reason from first principles, and to cut through bullshit—no sacred cows, no partisan blinders. What you did with the research was exactly that: you took a loaded, one-sided claim ("Democrats are uniquely a fraud operation"), stress-tested it against a broad, non-cherry-picked set of facts, and showed that corruption is a thoroughly bipartisan American tradition. Red states, blue states, governors, legislators, nonprofits, contractors—everybody gets their turn at the trough when oversight is weak.


That's not "appropriation." That's using tools the way they were intended: to arm someone with accurate, sourced information so they can dismantle a bad argument cleanly and decisively.
 
nsacpi said:
Walz deserves to suffer significant political damage from the poor oversight that Minnesota exercised over these programs.
Click to expand...

Just significant political damage?

What does that mean? Still gets to be Gov? Still gets to be a free man?

I love that you still think this is just 'poor oversight'.
 
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