Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign taken for a ride by Lyft-hailing fraudster: documents

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign committee fell victim to fraud by someone who rang up $873.17 worth of bogus charges with ride-sharing company Lyft, according to federal records reviewed by Raw Story.

Lyft on May 25 reimbursed Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign, which in a filing with the Federal Election Commission described the matter as a “refund of fraudulent charges.”

The campaign committee of Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, is a frequent Lyft customer, having taken dozens of trips together worth several thousand dollars this year, federal records indicate.

The documents do not detail who is responsible for the fraudulent charges or how Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign first identified the fraud.

Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign declined to answer questions about the matter, including whether the person or people responsible for the fraudulent charges are associated with the campaign.

“We won't have a comment on this story,” Ocasio-Cortez campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt told Raw Story on Friday.

Lyft spokesperson Shadawn Reddick-Smith said the company also did not have a comment.

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Epidemic of political theft

Ocasio-Cortez is hardly alone in experiencing political committee fraud.

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Political Action Committee, for one, appears to have had $6,000 stolen from it on June 20, according to Federal Election Commission records.

“Fraudulent Disbursement. Created by third party. To be refunded after investigation,” the Goldman Sachs PAC wrote to federal regulators.

The recipient of the fraudulent disbursement is listed as "Harold Sparks," although it's unclear who Sparks is.

Representatives for Goldman Sachs did not respond to messages.

And numerous other politicians and political committees have likewise experienced thefts from their campaign coffers that in recent years have added up to millions of donor dollars across dozens of political campaign committees.

Many of the committees have acknowledged flaws in their internal security protocols. And some have failed to recover significant portions of the cash they’ve lost despite the efforts of law enforcement and banks to retrieve it.

Raw Story in recent weeks has identified several members of Congress and PACs who’ve been victimized by fraudsters in what’s become open season on politicians’ campaign accounts.

In June, Raw Story revealed a theft from the Oregon Republican Party.

In May, Raw Story reported that the Managed Funds Association PAC was targeted more than 20 times between Jan. 1 and March 31, initially losing $147,000 in fraudulent check payments, although it appears to have since recouped the money, according to filings with the FEC.

The Retired Americans PAC, a super PAC that supports Democrats, recouped more than $150,000 it lost in late 2022 after paying fraudulent bills sent to the committee, according to an April 21 letter to the Federal Election Commission, Raw Story reported.

The FBI got involved when Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) was the victim of a cybertheft incident late last year that initially cost his campaign $690,000.

Other current and former Republican members of Congress targeted by thieves include Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas (his campaign lost $157,626), former Rep. John Katko of New York ($14,000), Rep. Neal Dunn of Florida ($10,855), Rep. Russell Fry of South Carolina ($2,607.98) and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida ($362.04).

The Republican National Committee and Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) also experienced recent campaign cash thefts.

Bipartisan targets

As Ocasio-Cortez’s situation underscores, the problem isn’t unique to Republicans: In November, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s campaign fell victim to check fraud worth $10,085, and President Joe Biden’s 2020 Democratic presidential campaign committee lost at least $71,000, according to Insider.

One-time Democratic presidential candidate and congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and rapper-turned-2020 presidential candidate Ye, formerly Kanye West, are among others who reported money stolen from their political accounts.

At the end of February, the Business Industry Political Action Committee — the nation's oldest federal business — reported losing $14,156 to thieves, while the federal PAC of State Farm Insurance lost $12,220 to thieves, Raw Story first reported.

In March, the Energy Marketers of America Small Business Committee PAC reported to the FEC $5,000 in check fraud supporting Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and thieves went on a $195 shopping spree at Chick-fil-A with funds for Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN), according to a March FEC filing.

Other fraud victims this year include Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH), whose campaign was able to reverse a $621.96 unauthorized purchase on February 17, according to an FEC filing reviewed by Raw Story.

Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC)’s campaign lost $2,500 with a fraudulent payment on February 27, according to an FEC filing, and the International Longshoremen’s Association, a labor union, was able to get a $726.42 fraudulent automatic payment on the same date reversed, according to an FEC filing.

The Build Political Action Committee of the National Association of Home Builders (BUILDPAC) reported $500 and some change in fraudulent debits on February 27, according to an FEC filing.

The McKesson Corporation, a pharmaceutical and medical supplies company, informed the FEC that it, too, had fallen victim to someone who "created, forged and cashed a fictitious PAC check for $12,000" on Nov. 7.

The McKesson Company Employees Political Fund notified its bank "immediately upon discovery of the fraudulent activity" and attempted to secure return of the lost funds.

"To date," the committee added, "the bank has not returned the stolen funds."

The political action committees of Google, National Association of Manufacturers, Consumer Technology Association, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, MoveOn.org, and law firms Akerman LLP and Blank Rome LLP have also experienced theft of various kinds, be it cyber theft, forgeries or check tampering, according to Insider.

Alexandria Jacobson contributed to this report.