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| Album:Victorino Noval Foundation's Photos inFundraiser for Los Angeles's future DA Alan Jackson....FROM FACEBOOK |
JACKIE LACEY CAMPAIGN RESPONDS TO LOS ANGELES TIMES ARTICLE ON ALAN JACKSON DONOR BEING A FELON
Today, the Los Angeles Times ran an article ("Donor in D.A. race is also a felon," Los Angeles Times, October 20, 2012) detailing the complex relationship between convicted felon Victor (a.k.a. Victorino) Noval and Los Angeles County District Attorney candidate Alan Jackson. Noval and his family members and an employee have directly contributed $115,000 to fund Alan Jackson's effort to become D.A.
Victor Noval was convicted of masterminding a $60 million fraud against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a crime that was called the "largest in that agency's history." (Los Angeles Times, October 18, 1997). At the time, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shapiro called it a "classic Ponzi scheme with a real estate gloss." In 2003, Noval was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $20,733,000 in restitution.
Now, Noval and his immediate family have emerged as the single largest source of support for the Jackson campaign. Noval, his sons and an "assistant at the Noval Foundation" have contributed $15,000 directly to the Jackson campaign committee.
In addition one of Noval's sons contributed $100,000 to the state Republican Party, money that was used to send out hundreds of thousands of mailers to Republican households endorsing Jackson in the days leading up to the June primary election.
Jackson, who edged Carmen Trutanich out of the November runoff by a 1.5% margin, simply would not have been in the runoff without the massive infusion of funds from the Novals.
Additionally, Victorino Noval hosted a fundraiser for Jackson at his $6 million Beverly Hills home in May 2012. About 100 guests were present, but it is not known how much was raised for Jackson at the event.
Why is this important?
1. Laws may have been broken.
The State Republican Party received $100,000 from Noval on May 30, 2012, and then spent the vast majority of that money the next day sending out mailers for Jackson. If the contribution was specifically "earmarked" for Jackson the contribution is an illegal violation of the county's campaign contribution limit of $1,500 for a candidate for District Attorney. The startling fact is that the Republican Party had not even endorsed Jackson and was required to hold an emergency telephone endorsement meeting on May 26. It would have been impossible for the Republican Party to endorse Jackson on May 26, solicit a $100,000 contribution from someone who had never before made a contribution to the Party on May 30, and then prepare and send out hundreds of thousands of units of mail endorsing Jackson on May 31 without coordination between the campaign and the Party.
2. This says something about Jackson's ethics.
"I want to ensure that public corruption is a zero tolerance issue," stated Alan Jackson (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, October 16, 2012.)
Zero tolerance of public corruption has to start in the campaign. Jackson cannot just shrug this off and say, "I didn't know." The fact is that it is his job to know - his most important job. The public should not have to accept the appearance that their District Attorney has been bought and paid for by a convicted felon.
Jackson's campaign has the affirmative responsibility to carefully vet ever contribution they receive - particularly when the money is coming from someone they "don't know" who is giving such large sums and bundling money from their children and low-level employees. Especially when they are hosting a major fundraiser at their home. Especially when they are being solicited for six-figure contributions to support your candidacy through the Republican Party.
"Five minutes of searching Google send up enough red flags about Victor Noval to make it look like May Day in Pyongyang," stated Jackie Lacey's campaign consultant Parke Skelton. "We know that dubious characters want to contribute to a D.A.'s campaign, we have made it our job to vet them and weed them out."
Some links concerning Victor Noval: 2003 HUD Office of Inspector General, p10: http://www.hudoig.gov/pdf/sar/sar50.pdf
LA Times article about Noval's arrest: http://articles.latimes.com/1997/oct/18/local/me-43980
Photos from Noval's fundraiser for Jackson: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=410503282303045&set=pb.159323637421012.-2207520000.1350750110&type=1&theater
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