TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. – As disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried stood trial in a U.S. federal courthouse Tuesday for allegedly stealing billions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme and making illegal campaign contributions, the only Florida congressman at the time to take funds tied to Bankman-Fried sent out invitations to a fundraiser scheduled to be held at Mar-a-Lago later this month.
According to Federal Election Commission records, Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) was the only Congressman from the state of Florida to receive contributions tied to Bankman-Fried. Bilirakis, who lives in Pinellas County, but represents Florida’s 12th Congressional District, has reportedly refused to answer questions from the media about the multiple maximum contributions he received for both his campaign committee and the Gus Bilirakis Victory Fund on at least three occasions that were tied to Bankman-Fried.
“As a former supporter and donor to Gus, I think I deserve some answers,” said James Judge, a military veteran, small business owner and Republican candidate for Florida’s 12th Congressional District. “Sam Bankman-Fried allegedly stole billions of dollars from more than a million victims and gave more than $40 million to primarily left-wing causes and mainly Democrats. Republican donors should understand that they are being asked to support a candidate who has a track record of accepting donations made by their political enemies. I certainly wouldn’t have given Gus a contribution had I have known these details.”
According to federal prosecutors, Bankman-Fried is currently on trial for allegedly stealing billions of dollars from citizens in a Ponzi-scheme and making millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions through straw donors. His charges include wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and money laundering.
Bankman-Fried, who founded FTX, a fraud-ridden and now-bankrupt company, which used to operate a cryptocurrency exchange and hedge fund, conspired with his brother Gabriel and other FTX executives to influence lawmakers to change laws to benefit him and his company, prosecutors have alleged.
What makes these donations illegal is they were made with “straw” donors or corporate funds, which allowed Bankman-Fried to conceal and evade contribution limits, prosecutors say.
Bankman-Fried was one of the largest donors to Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections, donating millions of dollars to President Joe Biden. He also heavily funded LGBTQ initiatives. According to FEC records, Bankman-Fried and his cohorts donated to the Democratic parties of dozens of states including Florida, as well as campaigns and PACs for Joe Biden, John Fetterman, Cory Booker, Hakeem Jeffries, and many more.
“It’s sad because the victims of this fraud, many of whom lost their life savings and everything they owned, will never see their money again,” said Judge. “Yet these elected officials continue to walk around without even having to answer questions about what they discussed and why they received these funds.”
Among Judge’s chief complaints against Bilirakis are his more than 3,700 questionable special interest contributions, which include donations from Blackrock, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Target, Disney and more.
Earlier this year, Bilirakis chaired a subcommittee meeting on blockchain and cryptocurrency, which Judge contends is concerning given Bilirakis’s willingness to accept donations tied to Bankman-Fried.
“I used to support Bilirakis, but after looking at his voting record, his hypocritical comments about term-limits and refusal to self-impose them, and his lengthy list of contributors, it’s clear that Gus is not for us,” said Judge.
About James Judge:
James Judge, a Florida native, graduated from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg and served in the U.S. Coast Guard in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Additionally, he served in Kabul, Afghanistan as a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense from 2010 until 2011. He now owns Judge Public Relations, a Tampa-based public relations, marketing and consulting firm. Judge is married to his wife Danielle, who is also a small business owner. The Judges live on a ranch in Dade City, with their five dogs, three cats, chickens, cows, goats and horses. Judge is a proud member of the NRA, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. The Judges are also longtime, active members at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz.
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