Former Republican Party Chair Pleads Guilty To Criminal Counts

February 12, 2013

Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer pleaded guilty Monday to five criminal counts in connection with his fundraising activities during his time in office, ending a two-year legal odyssey that had threatened to unearth secrets of the state GOP and former Gov. Charlie Crist.

The guilty plea set off a round of political finger-pointing in Tallahassee, with Republicans laying the blame for the debacle on Crist, a newly-minted Democrat who could challenge current GOP Gov. Rick Scott in 2014. Democrats, meanwhile, tried to tag the RPOF with Greer’s ethical baggage.

Greer pleaded guilty to four counts of grand theft and one count of money laundering; prosecutors will ask for 42 months in prison.

The case against Greer centers on allegations that he used his position as party chairman to steer business to Victory Strategies, his fundraising company. Greer said party leaders knew what he was doing, and that a secret severance agreement between himself and party leaders should have protected him from any criminal liability.

Greer sued the RPOF, former Senate President Mike Haridopolos and Sen. John Thrasher, who succeeded Greer as party chief, for the $123,000 he was offered in the severance agreement and $5 million in damages. Greer will drop that suit following the plea deal, his attorney said.

Damon Chase, who had fiercely represented Greer during the long-running and multifaceted legal battle, said in an interview Monday that he still believed Greer would have won at trial.

“The evidence was overwhelmingly in our favor, but I guess Greer got an offer that he couldn’t refuse,” Chase told the News Service.

Chase wouldn’t elaborate on any terms of Greer’s agreement to plead guilty, saying it was confidential.

“Knowing the deal he got, I don’t blame him one bit for taking it,” Chase said.

The case had promised to be a statewide legal and political spectacle, with Greer threatening to drag the RPOF’s dirty laundry into open court. Also potentially on the firing line was Crist, a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat who is widely believed to be plotting a political comeback.

In fact, RPOF Executive Director Mike Grissom referred to Greer as “the man Charlie Crist personally picked to lead the Republican Party of Florida” in a statement regarding the plea deal.

“For the past three years, Jim Greer has tried to damage the reputation of the Republican Party and its leaders, but the truth is now known that Jim Greer broke the law, stole from RPOF and our donors, and then said and did everything he could to cover up and distract attention from his crimes,” Grissom said. “Everything Jim Greer has said and done over these past few years should be considered in that light.”

Democrats, meanwhile, tried to keep Republicans from ducking blame.

“Republicans in Tallahassee breathed a collective sigh of relief this morning, but they have nothing to feel good about,” said Florida Democratic Party spokeswoman Brannon Jordan. “The former chair of their party admitted to four counts of grand theft before a national audience.”
Greer will be sentenced next month.

Greer faced few problems when Charlie Crist’s star was on the rise after a sweeping victory in the gubernatorial elections of 2006, a year that saw historic gains by Democrats nationwide. But after Crist’s controversial embrace of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package in 2009 — a move that would begin Crist’s eventual move away from the party — Greer became more controversial among conservative critics.

Greer had maintained that it was that discontent on the right and his ties to Crist, rather than any concerns about his fundraising, that precipitated his resignation from the party in early 2010.

But for whatever reason, and with whomever to blame, Greer decided Monday not to take that battle to its last stage.

By The News Service of Florida

Comments

7 Responses to “Former Republican Party Chair Pleads Guilty To Criminal Counts”

  1. Mark on February 13th, 2013 10:07 am

    Henry, if you seriously believe that the democratic party is not as crooked at the republican party, I have just one question for you…

    What color is the sky in your world?

    You keep drinking that kool-aid and keep those blinders that you wear on. If you cannot see that both parties lie, cheat, steal, and worry about nothing than their own personal agenda, then you should have your right to vote revoked!

  2. bill on February 13th, 2013 7:26 am

    Henry,
    The Demo-crooks and Republi-crooks are two side of the same coin. If you check who the really big contributors are, you’ll find out that they give money to both sides knowing that whoever wins, they will still be able to influence whoever wins.

  3. Jane on February 13th, 2013 5:42 am

    More crooked politicians than hens in a hen house! I am beginning to think maybe we need to clean out the hen house! Remember to vote in the next election…preferably for some new faces!

  4. Bob Hudsun on February 12th, 2013 4:16 pm

    Yep, every one knows the Democratic party is far more morally corrupt than the republican party. Left out God int their platform, 100 % support of abortion, Total removal of any refferance to God in government. Just to mention a few. What a great group.

  5. Henry Coe on February 12th, 2013 12:46 pm

    @bill,

    Except for the mention of Charlie having become a Dem, this article has nothing to do with both parties and suggesting that both parties are just as crooked as the GOP, while that might make you feel better to believe, it is absolutely not true.

  6. bob hudson on February 12th, 2013 10:16 am

    There are bad apple’s in every barrel, glad he has been caught.

  7. bill on February 12th, 2013 7:14 am

    “Knowing the deal he got, I don’t blame him one bit for taking it,” Chase said.
    The Republi-crooks gave Greer a deal he couldn’t refuse to keep him from exposing their dirty laundry. Now they can blame it all on the newly minted Demo-crook, Charlie Crist. When will people take off their rose colored glasses and see that their party is just as corrupt as the other party. The only difference is the contributors that they’re taking the money from and guess what, some of the major manipulators give to both parties! That way they can influence whoever wins.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News