The former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, Ryan Call, allegedly stole nearly $280,000 from a super PAC that supported Former President Donald Trump.
Colorado Newsline obtained a complaint filed against Call this month focusing on his involvement with Rebuilding America Now – a super PAC established to support Trump in 2016. Between June 2016 and June 2019, Call served as its treasurer. He served as the chairman of the Colorado Republican Party between 2011 and 2015.
The outlet describes super PACs as “federal campaign entities that are allowed to raise and spend unlimited sums of money on behalf of a political candidate, as long as their activities are not ‘coordinated’ with the candidate or their campaign.”
“Respondent knowingly misappropriated $278,169.45 from (Rebuilding America Now),” the complaint reads.
It continues, “Specifically, he transferred $278,169.45 of RAN funds to himself, knowing that the funds belonged to RAN, and knowing that he was not entitled to the funds and that RAN had not authorized him to take the funds for his own purposes.”
Between June and November 2016, the group raised more than $23 million, as Colorado Newsline reports citing FEC records. The complaint also alleges Call did not report a $1 million contribution to the super PAC for more than two years.
Call reportedly transferred nearly $280,000 to himself in 37 separate transactions between September 2016 and January 2019.
The missing $1 million contribution was ultimately reported by Call in an updated disclosure report to the Federal Election Commission in November 2018.
According to the report, if Presiding Disciplinary Judge William Lucero determines the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel proves the allegations against Call, “available sanctions include private admonition, public censure, probation, suspension, or disbarment.”
