A Langhorne man pleaded guilty in a fraud case that involved a political action committee.
Advertisements
Christopher Richardson, 37, pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFaddento in Washington D.C. to falsifying a report filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and credit card fraud, both felony offenses, authorities announced.
In addition, Richardson desperately pleaded guilty to credit card fraud for the falsification of a credit card application using a stolen social security number.
According to court documents, in March of 2020, Richardson created an independent expenditure-only political action committee, or super PAC, named Americans for Progressive Action USA (AFPA) using fictitious names for AFPA’s treasurer and designated agent.
Advertisements
Richardson then filed a falsified quarterly report with the FEC claiming that AFPA had raised $4.8 million.
Several weeks later, he filed a report of expenditures that falsely claimed that the Super PAC spent over $1.5 million to purchase advertisements and media production opposing certain candidates for the U.S. Senate, authorities said.
AFPA’s quick fundraising and spending attracted scrutiny from Politico.
Advertisements
Richardson then filed another FEC report that falsely stated that AFPA has refunded the non-existent $4.8 million in donations.
For his knowing falsification of the FEC report claiming to make $1.5 million in expenditures, Richardson pleaded guilty to making a false entry in a record.
The judge scheduled sentencing for June 13.
Advertisements
Richardson could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the false entry count and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the credit card fraud count.
Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies
