ACORN's latest scandal

[Gotch]

ACORN Officials Videotaped Telling 'Pimp,' 'Prostitute' How to Lie to IRS - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

Officials with the controversial community organizing group ACORN were secretly videotaped offering to assist two individuals posing as a pimp and a prostitute, encouraging them to lie to the Internal Revenue Service and providing guidance on how to claim underage girls from South America as dependents.

The videotape was made public Thursday on BigGovernment.com, a political blog launched by Andrew Breitbart as a companion site to his BigHollywood.breitbart.com blog.

In the videotape, made on July 24, James O'Keefe, a 25-year-old independent filmmaker, posed as a pimp with a 20-year-old woman named "Kenya" who posed as a prostitute while visiting ACORN's office in Baltimore. The couple told ACORN staffers they wanted to secure housing where the woman could continue to maintain a prostitution business.

ACORN ? the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now ? bills itself as the nation's largest community of low- and moderate-income families "working together for social justice and stronger communities," according to its Web site. The organization has been accused by Republicans and conservative activists with fraud in voter registration drives around the country and has been under fire since last year for its support of President Obama and for its planned participation in next year's census.

A spokesman for ACORN, Scott Levenson, when asked to comment on the videotape, said: "The portrayal is false and defamatory and an attempt at gotcha journalism. This film crew tried to pull this sham at other offices and failed. ACORN wants to see the full video before commenting further."

On the videotape, "Kenya" can be seen telling an ACORN staffer that she earns roughly $8,000 a month. The ACORN employee then suggests to "Kenya" that ACORN could submit a tax return for 2008 showing that she made $9,600 for the entire year ? instead of $96,000 ? and that ACORN would charge "Kenya" $50 instead of the usual $150 fee for preparing her taxes.

ACORN offers tax preparation and benefits application services free of charge during tax season; it charges nominal fees during non-tax season.

The ACORN staffer can also be seen suggesting that the prostitute list her occupation as a freelance "performing artist."

"It's not dancing, trust me," the "pimp" says.

"But dancing is considered an art," the ACORN staffer replies. "[Exotic dancers] usually go under performing artists, or yeah, they usually go under performing arts, which will be what you are ? a performing artist."

The "pimp" later says that he and "Kenya" plan to bring up to 13 "very young" girls from El Salvador to work as prostitutes. Although an ACORN staffer points out their plans are illegal, she also suggests that the girls can be claimed as dependents.

"What if they are going to be making money because they are performing tricks too?" the pimp says.

"If they making money and they are underage, then you shouldn't be letting anybody know anyway," the ACORN staffer says, and laughs. "It's illegal. So I am not hearing this, I am not hearing this. You talk too much. Don't give up no information you're not asked."

The "pimp" then asks ACORN staffers to "promise" not to discriminate against his sex worker because of "who she is and what she does," according to the audiotape.

"If we don't have the information, then how are we going to discriminate?" the ACORN staffer replies. "You see what I am saying?"

If the girls are under age 16, the ACORN staffer says on the tape, then they are not legally allowed to work in the state, regardless of what they do.

"So it's like they don't even exist?" "Kenya" asks.

"Exactly," the ACORN staffer replies. "It's like they don't even exist."

The staffer goes on to suggest that as many as three of the underage girls can be listed as dependents at the home, but a "flag" will be raised if as many as 13 are listed.

"You are gonna use three of them," the staffer says. "They are gonna be under 16, so you is eligible to get child tax credit and additional child tax credit."

The ACORN workers also appear to be promoting the group's services to the "pimp" and "Kenya."

A second ACORN employee can be heard on the audiotape suggesting that the couple join the organization for an annual cost of $120 prior to attending one of its first-time homebuyer seminars, which are underwritten with taxpayer funds.

Later, when the "pimp" asks what would happen if the organization is somehow connected to the scheme, the ACORN staffer replies, "First of all, it's not gonna damage us because we not gonna know. And with your girls, you tell them, 'Be careful.' Train them to keep their mouth shut."

"These girls are like 14, how can we trust them?" the pimp asks.

"Just be very, very careful," the ACORN staffer says. "Whatever you do, always keep your eyes in the back of your head."

Reached by FOX News, O'Keefe said he was "shocked" at the level of assistance provided by ACORN staffers.

"I was prepared for them to call the police, throw me out of the office and be hostile," he said. "Without hesitation, they helped me every way they could with evading taxes and setting me up with a brothel, with getting around federal tax laws ? doing everything they could to help us. I was completely shocked."

House Republicans issued a report in July accusing ACORN of engaging in a scheme to use taxpayer money to support a partisan political agenda. California Rep. Darrell Issa, the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, called for a criminal investigation into the group, which dismissed the report as a "partisan attack job."

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Before anybody bothers with "oh, but it's Fox News" go to youtube, you can watch the entire undercover tape (which was not made by Fox). Looks like ACORN is basically a criminal operation.

[TheBeast]

And these are the ones that Chairman Maobama and his flunkies keep praising and handing money and jobs to. Y'all do know that they are the ones that are in charge of doing the census.

[Gotch]

ACORN and the Census | FactCheck.org

BUT
The connection between this criminal organization and our president is too close to be comfortable.

[R13]

And these are the ones that Chairman Maobama and his flunkies keep praising and handing money and jobs to. Y'all do know that they are the ones that are in charge of doing the census.

HAHAHAHAH! Do you actually believe all of these claims? They get debunked in about 2 sec, yet continue to remain a talking point.


washingtonpost.com

And they were fired.


ACORN is hardly a criminal organization, if they are, they are pretty bad ones since they themselves are the ones that point out these fraudulent charges. And the connection isn't much of one, about as much as Mccains connection. When someone explains how they fraudulently affected the election or stole it for Obama, it'll hold some water

[Gotch]

Of course they had to fire them after the video came out.

There have been other criminal activities by the group in the past. Like it or not, when your employees commit crimes while at work it reflects on the organization.

From factcheck.org

In 1995, Obama helped represent ACORN in a successful lawsuit to require the state of Illinois to offer "motor voter" registration at DMV offices. Obama has said that this is his only association with ACORN, but that's not the case – he has had other, though less direct, interactions with the organization.


When Obama was on the board of directors of the Woods Fund, the foundation gave grants of $75,000 in 2001 and $70,000 in 2002 to ACORN's Chicago office. The McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee cite an additional grant of $45,000 in 2000. The Woods Fund has not responded to our calls about their 2000 grants.

The Obama campaign also paid Citizens Services Inc., a group affiliated with ACORN, more than $800,000 for get-out-the-vote (not voter registration) efforts during the primary election. The nature of CSI's services was initially misrepresented on the Obama campaign's disclosures to the Federal Election Commission, which the campaign describes as an oversight.

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In all fairness I think that to a great extent the connection between Obama and ACORN in the minds of many has to do with the organizations rather rabid support of him.

[R13]

So he defended the Chicago group who has never been accused of register fraud? As it says, very indirect. It's not a criminal organization, it's some bums that work for them trying to make a quick buck. They point out these registration frauds their self, the "connection" is lacking and I still have no clue how they helped him win.


When I see one vote that Mickey Mouse casts for Obama, then they did nothing whatsoever to help him.

[Gotch]

^and it makes it clear the connection is not the same as McCain's (where'd you get that?)

Census Bureau severs ties with ACORN in 2010 count

[R13]

Wasn't Mccain a speaker for them for awhile?

[Gotch]

Short answer is no.

He spoke at a community College (in Miami I think) in support of a bipartisan immigration bill that he was working on. Acorn was one of the organizations that had a large number of members attend, and help out with the rally. He was not speaking for or even to Acorn. He was speaking to a crowd at a community college in support of his bill.

[Gotch]

ACORN in 2nd pimp, hooker flap

New video, different Acorn employees, same result. Advised as to how to carry on a child prostitution ring and to commit tax fraud as they are doing it. More videos of other Acorn workers giving spot on identical advice as to illegal activities will surface soon it is claimed.

Criminal organization, case closed.