Ten corporate criminals have pumped $18.443 million to Democrats and Republicans into the 2012 political campaign. That’s according to a report in this week’s print edition of the Corporate Crime Reporter.
The ten corporate criminals gave $12.213 million to Republicans (66 percent) and $6.230 million (34 percent) to Democrats.
“Ten out of the current top 100 donors to the 2012 political campaign have plead guilty to crimes,” said Russell Mokhiber editor of the Corporate Crime Reporter.
Corporate Crime Reporter looked at the companies and organizations on the Center for Responsive Politics list of the top 100 donors to the 2012 campaign.
“Ten out of the top 100 donors are corporate criminals,” Mokhiber said. “We only included companies that have plead guilty to crimes.”
The top ten corporate criminal donors to the 2012 political campaign are:
* Honeywell (2011 — pleads guilty to environmental crimes) $2.449 million ($1.587 million to Republicans, $.972 million to Democrats)
* Lockheed (1995 — pleads guilty in bribery case) $2.192 million ($1.359 million to Republicans, $.833 million to Democrats)
* Blue Cross Blue Shield (1998 — BCBS Illinois pleads guilty to Medicare fraud) $2.186 million ($1.486 million to Republicans, $.700 million to Democrats)
* Boeing (1989 — pleads guilty in secrets case) $2.010 million ($1.206 million to Republicans, $.804 million to Democrats)
* General Electric (1992 — pleads guilty to fraud and bribery) $1.885 million ($1.188 million to Republicans, $.697 million to Democrats)
* Northrop (1990 — pleads guilty to procurement fraud) $1.840 million ($1.049 million to Republicans, $.791 million to Democrats)
* Koch Industries (1992 — Koch Petroleum unit pleads guilty to environmental crimes) $1.612 million ($1.580 million to Republicans, $.032 to Democrats)
* Raytheon (1990 — pleads guilty in secrets case) $1.466 million ($.909 million to Republicans, $.557 million to Democrats)
* Pfizer (1999 — pleads guilty to price fixing) $1.367 million ($.642 million to Republicans, $.725 million to Democrats)
* Exxon (1991 — pleads guilty in Valdez oil spill) $1.326 million ($1.207 million to Republicans, $.119 million to Democrats)
“It’s apparently okay for corporate criminals to give to the Democrats and the Republicans,” Mokhiber said. “But when individual wrongdoers give, then Democrats and Republicans are forced to give the money back.”
Most recently, President Obama’s campaign gave back a $35,800 campaign contribution made by Shervin Neman. Neman was accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission of engaging in a Ponzi scheme.
“Neman is accused of running a Ponzi scheme and when this came to light, President Obama’s campaign was forced to give the money back,” Mokhiber said. “But the ten corporate criminals listed in our report engaged in major frauds and environmental crimes. And they were not only accused of wrongdoing, they plead guilty. And yet both parties take the money from these corporate criminals and run – without shame. And they are not forced to give the money back. Why is that?”
Corporate Crime Reporter is a legal print newsweekly now in its 26th year.