The Opposition Research Training Blog

Former House Staffer Sentenced

The Washington Post reports a former aide to Representatives Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) was sentenced to six months in prison for wire fraud. Laura I. Flores pled guilty in January to wire fraud for embezzling several hundred thousand dollars from official accounts. Flores created phony invoices to hide expenditures for political work she was doing on government time. The article indicates Flores received a reduced sentence for cooperating with an ongoing Justice Department investigation into whether members of Congress used staff for campaign activities.

Ex-Newark Mayor Convicted

In what is yet another example of why it is so important to examine business activities of a candidate's relatives and close associates, former Newark mayor Sharpe James was convicted of fraud on April 16^th. The New York Times reports James was convicted in federal court of arranging the sale of city-owned property to his former girlfriend who flipped the property for a large profit. The U.S. Attorney's Office press release can be found here. While the buying and selling of real estate by a candidate's friends and relatives in and of itself is usually not an issue, when the real estate is purchased from a public entity with which the candidate has influence it warrants a closer examination. James still faces additional federal corruption charges for improperly using city-issued credit cards.

Free Criminal Records Search Guide

Search Systems, home to more than 41,686 searchable public record database links, has release the free Criminal Records Search Guide here.

Finding Old Court Case Files

Many courts now offer online access to case indexes. Once you locate a case involving the subject of your inquiry, you need to determine if the case file is still available at the court. Not all court case files are kept at the court clerk's office. Each court has a schedule it follows to retire older case files to an archive. In some instances the files for minor cases are destroyed. The clerk of the court will be able to tell you if a case file has been archived. In some archives the original case file number is also used to locate the file.

Federal court case files are stored in one of the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) nationwide network of 17 facilities. In federal record centers the case file is found by case number, box number, and box location. This information is obtained from the clerk of the bankruptcy or district court where the case was tried. To request a case file from a record center you will need to use the NATF Form 90 for bankruptcy cases, Form 91 for civil cases, and a Form 92 for criminal cases. These forms can be found as a PDF on each record center's web page.

Most local courts store old case files onsite or destroy them after a number of years. State courts often send old case files to their state archive. A useful directory of state archive centers can be found at the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators web page. Instructions for obtaining case files can be found on most state archive web pages. The staff at the state archive can also provide you with the information you need to order copies. Do to limited staff and request backlogs, it may take as many as six to eight weeks to get a response from an archive. In the event you need records sooner, you will need to send a researcher to the archives to make a request in person. Finding a researcher near the archives can be difficult. Consider hiring a professional genealogist. They are at the archives often and are very familiar with the procedures for obtaining records. To locate a professional genealogist search the Association of Professional Genealogists web page.

Uncovering Fresh Company Information

One problem opposition researchers face often is finding current information about small and medium sized companies. Information from the Internet and state corporate registration files can be relatively new, but is often outdated and incomplete. One of the best sources for current corporate information is the business credit reporting service Skyminder.

Skyminder is a service of CRIBIS Corporation a division of the Italian CRIF Group. Skyminder's strong suit is foreign company information. But they also offer reports on U.S. companies for around $100. What makes their service useful is that when you request a company report you can have the analyst who contacts the company ask up to five specific questions. While it is not likely you will get the company to reveal their secret investors, you may be able to learn if the company is a subsidiary or has their own subsidiaries. The analyst who handles your request can help you formulate questions that have a higher probability of being answered. You should also be prepared to learn the company refused to provide any information. Companies that do not rely heavily on credit may decline to share information.

Send Voice Mails to a Group

Depending on the size of your opposition research team, Pinger, a free broadcast voice mail service may be a valuable tool. After setting up the free account and entering associates names and cell phone numbers, you simply call a local number, choose the names of those you wish to receive the message and record the message. Each team member you selected receives a text message on their cell phone instructing them to call the number displayed in the message. The team members hear your message and are given the opportunity to respond back with their own message. If the do respond, you receive a text message directing you to call in and listen. If you have a large team this is an easy way to get the message out with one call.

New Community and Forum Search Engine

Twing is a new community and forum search engine. The search engine allows you to search posts, topics and forums by key word. In the "Posts" search section you can find posts by author using a name or e-mail address. The results can be sorted by Relevance or Date and you can print or e-mail the results.

Microsoft Office Live Workspace

Microsoft lunched Office Live Workspace today. This online service provides users with up to 500MB of storage for free. The service is easy to set up and use. Inviting others to share documents or workspaces is also simple. It's a great collaboration tool that allows opposition research team members to share documents and work from any computer.

IRS Exempt Organizations 990-N Database Online

In the past, exempt organizations whose gross receipts normally do not exceed $25,000 per year have not been required to file a yearly information return with the IRS. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 now requires smaller exempt organizations to file a Form 990-N (e-Postcard) to ensure the IRS and potential donors have current information about these organizations. The law requires organizations to begin filing in 2008 for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007. The Form 990-N contains the the Employer Identification Number, the legal name and address, additional names used by the organization, web site address, and the name and address of the principal  officer of the organization. The IRS database of Form 990-N filings can be found here.

Former RI House Majority Leader Sentenced

The Providence Business News reports that former Rhode Island House Majority Leader Gerard Martineau was sentenced Friday to just over three years in federal prison and ordered to pay a fine of $100,000 for influence-peddling by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi.

Martineau operated the Upland Group which sold paper and plastic bags to CVS Caremark Corp. and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. For nearly $900,000 in contracts to sell bags Martineau worked to defeat and block legislation the companies opposed. Prosecutors say Martineau is cooperating with an ongoing corruption probe dubbed "Operation Dollar Bill" and may be eligible for a reduction in sentence pending the outcome of the investigation.