ACORN Probe: No Illegal Pattern in Videos

(AP)  An internal investigation of the community-organizing group ACORN found no pattern of intentional, illegal conduct by ACORN staffers on undercover videos shot by conservative critics of the group.

In a 47-page assessment that former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger was commissioned by the organization to do, he criticized ACORN's management as not moving fast enough to institute reforms after an alleged eight-year coverup by ACORN founder Wade Rathke of an embezzlement by his brother.

ACORN's leaders are "now reaping what Rathke sowed," wrote Harshbarger, who was brought in to investigate.

The organization's leadership has made reforms in finances and governance a priority, the Harshbarger report stated. However, it added, this focus has not yet been matched by similar attention to delivering services to ACORN's clients.

The videos of ACORN staffers offering advice to a woman and a man posing as a prostitute and her boyfriend triggered a firestorm of criticism this fall, with some ACORN employees appearing willing to support illegal schemes involving tax advice, misuse of public funds and illegal trafficking in children.

The videos "feed the impression that ACORN believes it is above the law," stated the Harshbarger report, intended as an independent examination of the issues.

"We did not find a pattern of intentional, illegal conduct by ACORN staff involved; in fact, no action, illegal or otherwise, was ever taken by any ACORN employee on behalf of the videographers," Harshbarger said in a statement. "Instead, the videos represent the byproduct of ACORN's longstanding management weaknesses, including a lack of training, a lack of procedures and a lack of on-site supervision."

Harshbarger's report says ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now, should return to its roots, focusing on community organizing and should hire an independent ethics officer to oversee an internal governance program that is already under way.

ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis called the report "part vindication, part constructive criticism and complete roadmap for the future" on behalf of "the interests of the communities we represent - low- and moderate-income, African-American and Latino families."

[youcancallmeroy]

2008: The New York Post reported that ACORN submitted a voter registration card for a 7-year-old Bridgeport girl. Another 8,000 cards from the same city will be scrutinized for possible fraud.
2009: In September, 11 ACORN workers were accused of forging voter registration applications in Miami-Dade County during the last election. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the state attorney?s office scoured hundreds of suspicious applications provided by ACORN and found 197 of 260 contained personal ID information that did not match any living person.
2008: Election officials in Brevard County have given prosecutors more than 23 suspect registrations from ACORN. The state's Division of Elections is also investigating complaints in Orange and Broward Counties.
2008: Election officials in Indiana have thrown out more than 4,000 ACORN-submitted voter registrations after finding they had identical handwriting and included the names of many deceased Indianans, and even
the name of a fast food restaurant.
2008: Clerks in Detroit found a "sizeable number of duplicate and fraudulent [voter] applications" from the Michigan branch of ACORN. Those applications have been turned over to the U.S. Attorney's office for investigation.
2008: Nearly 400 ACORN-submitted registrations in Kansas City have been rejected due to duplication or fake information.
2009: Nevada authorities indicted ACORN on 26 counts of voter registration fraud and 13 counts of illegally compensating canvassers. ACORN provided a bonus compensation program called ?Blackjack? or ?21+? for any canvasser who registered more than 20 voters per shift, which is illegal under Nevada law.
2008: Nevada state authorities raided ACORN's Las Vegas headquarters as part of a task force investigation of election fraud. Fraudulent registrations included players from the Dallas Cowboys.
2008: ACORN activists gave Ohio residents cash and cigarettes in exchange for filling out voter registration card, according to the New York Post. Some voters claim to have registered dozens of times, and one man says he signed up on 72 cards.
2009: Seven ACORN workers in the Pittsburgh area were indicted for submitting falsified voter registration forms. Six of the seven were also indicted for registering voters under an illegal quota system.
2008: An ACORN employee in West Reading, PA, was sentenced to up to 23 months in prison for identity theft and tampering with records. A second ACORN worker pleaded not guilty to the same charges and is free on $10,000 bail.
2008: In Harris County, nearly 10,000 ACORN-submitted registrations were found to be invalid, including many with clearly fraudulent addresses or other personal information.
2007: Three ACORN employees pleaded guilty, and four more were charged, in the worst case of voter registration fraud in Washington state history. More than 2,000 fraudulent voter registration cards were
submitted by the group during a voter registration drive.
2008: At least 33,000 ACORN-submitted registrations in Milwaukee have been called into question after it was found that the organizations had been using felons as registration workers, in violation of state election rules. Two people involved in the ongoing Wisconsin voter fraud investigation have been charged with felonies.

[youcancallmeroy]

Gregory Hall, a former employee of ACORN, labeled the organization "the most corrupt group in the country" and placed the blame on the national leaders of the left-wing group: "They?re the ones that are constantly giving the orders that say- make the money, no matter what- lie, steal, cheat- and I?ve got the witnesses to prove it". - Sharon McPherson
When asked if the reason they?re still in business is because they?re politically connected, Hall responded, "Yeah, there?s no doubt about that. It?s- it?s connected- and I'm a registered Democrat- voted- and
always will be. But- definitely connected to the left- SEIU- they?ve got connections that just funnel money into this place. I mean, so- until the money is cut federally- until they get rid of the money coming from the politicians, they?re going to continue this." - Sharon McPherson
Barack Obama's ties with the highly corrupt ACORN organization have been extensive over the years, a fact almost entirely unreported by the liberal mainstream news media. Last year, the Obama campaign, according to the "Times," paid ACORN $800,000 to register voters and do other work. Obama, when serving on the board of the Woods Fund in Chicago, gave ACORN money. "Investor's Business Daily" has called Barack Obama "ACORN's Senator." And the Obama administration got up to $2 billion of taxpayer funding in Obama's first 60 days for organizations such as ACORN.

[actornaught]

I realize that career pranksters like glenn beck are used as "information sources" for the neo-conned. So i'm not surprised that they would get excited that someone with a video camera and a fake hooker is a "hard news" source...

[actornaught]

by 2012EOD December 7, 2009 3:14 PM EST
...I guess using your logic...
...

You can't even follow your own "logic", so it's no surprise you don't follow mine.

bye bye...

[2012EOD]

pasha: I forgot that this is the Obama admin, and cheating on your taxes is ok now. Sorry.

[velma179]

by 2012EOD December 7, 2009 1:04 PM EST
I am still waiting on Obama to pay my mortgage and fill my gas tank.


***********

Really?

Then you will deserve exactly what you get... nothing, because he has never promised, proposed or promoted either of those things. You will note also... Barack Obama is merely President of the United States, he isn't King!

(I know you were using sarcasm -- I use facts)

[BeckieBest]

This is really about a group of right wing nuts upset that Acorn was registering ethnic people to vote.

They decided they'd try to frame Acorn and or make them look bad, hoping that they could stop Acorn from registering ethnic voters.

[actornaught]

by 2012EOD December 7, 2009 1:18 PM EST

Okay, mr honest, who found those phony registrations? And for bonus points, how many voted?

You're correct, fox probably never admitted that, so you wouldnt know...

[rematenaj]

No surprise that the man *commissioned* by ACORN found no illegal tactics used by ACORN. But at least he did find a few shortcomings. That way it looks like he did a righteous job! PULEEEEZZ!

[theskeptical1]

In 1986 Scott Harshbarger was the principle torch-waver in a witch hunt which sent three innocent people to prison for alleged sexual abuse at the Fells Acre Day Care. ( www.zpub.com/un/un-sh.html )

His Inspector Clouseau exoneration of ACORN is just another exercise in the calculated, self-serving deceit which has characterized his entire life. The man is a total fraud as is his so-called "investigation".

[Brokennews]

Hilarious!! They point to an internal investigation as proof they did nothing wrong.

That's like the Mob stating that:
"We have done an internal investigation & we have found no evidence of racketeering & loan sharking in any of our..........uhhh.......clubs"

[actornaught]

The pranksters (and that's all they are) that made the video in question wouldn't admit how many offices they visited before they could get anyone to talk stupid.

All they had to do was turn on glenn beck...

[actornaught]

by 2012EOD December 7, 2009 12:59 PM EST

You can't seem to get the imaginary 13-year old off your mind.

And of course, you skipped my point for that.

Check yourself.

[velma179]

actornaught may have said video instead of videos... but the FACT posted is not diminished by that.

The video makers did indeed visit far more ACORN offices than the ones where they found untrained and admittedly, ignorant STAFFERS to tape, and in that, make the statement they set out to make.

[endurorob_5]

By the way the title of this article is very misleading. "ACORN Probe: No Illegal Pattern in Videos" This was an "internal" investigaion. A probe is done externally.