GOP senator says he lost nearly $700,000 from cyber criminal during midterm campaign
Cami Mondeaux
Video Embed
The reelection team for Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) reported that a “cyber-criminal” stole nearly $700,000 from the campaign during the 2022 midterm cycle, prompting the Kansas Republican to call for an investigation.
In a letter written to the Federal Election Commission on Dec. 8, campaign treasurer Timothy Gottschalk reported that the campaign discovered just one week after the election that it had paid $690,000 in fraudulent invoices. The fraudulent activity was doled out in two payments, with one payment of $345,000 on Oct. 25 and a second wire in the same amount on Nov. 9.
SENATE 2024: HERE ARE THE EIGHT SEATS MOST LIKELY TO FLIP
The campaign reported the incident to the Republic County Kansas Sheriff’s Office, with officials later transferring the case to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the letter. The incident is still under investigation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Moran’s team recovered roughly $168,184 in funds on Nov. 23 that was initially taken from the wire transfer that occurred on Nov. 9, according to the letter. However, the campaign noted it is “pursuing all avenues” to recover the rest of the funds, according to the Kansas City Star.
Moran handily won reelection in November, defeating Democratic opponent Mark Holland by 23 percentage points.