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Conman Stole $250K With Fake Bernie and Beto Sites, Feds Say

Prosecutors say the ex-fugitive spent some of the political donations on a Mercedes-Benz.

An 80-year-old California conman allegedly bilked $250,000 from donors by creating fake political action committees in the name of candidates including Beto O’Rourke and Bernie Sanders. Federal prosecutors say John Pierre Dupont used at least some of the cash to buy himself a Mercedes-Benz and pay his rent. A criminal complaint filed in New York says Dupont registered Businessmen for a Businessman President PAC, Democrats for Congress PAC and Foundation for Sanity in Politics PAC with the Federal Elections Commission and created websites like Sanders2016Campaign.com and Beto4Senate.org—but never gave any of the donations to the real campaigns. According to NBC News, Dupont has a long criminal history that includes several prison stretches, a jailbreak and a stint as a fugitive.