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Utahn's legal woes linked to Romney
fund raising
June 21, 2007
More
Romney / Lichfield news ...
Utahn Robert Lichfield's legal
trouble surrounding his schools for troubled teens have been linked
to his fund raising for presidential candidate Mitt Romney,
according to a story published today in Washington-based newspaper
The Hill.
Lichfield, one of Utah's top
political donors, is also one of six co-chairmen of Romney's Utah
finance team. The article says the candidate has "collected hundreds
of thousands of dollars through the fund-raising efforts of a
supporter targeted by several lawsuits alleging child abuse."
The story points out that 133
plaintiffs have alleged in a federal court case filed in Utah that
Lichfield owned or operated schools where students suffered
"physical abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse" ranging from
unsanitary living conditions, exposure to extreme temperatures,
beatings, confinement in dog cages, or sexual fondling.
There is also a pending case in the
U.S. District Court of the Northern District of New York that
alleges Lichfield and several partners defraud people by operating
an unlicensed boarding school in upstate New York, according to the
article. Such claims against Lichfield are not new, nor is his work
raising money for Romney, as he has raised money for numerous
political candidates. But the story says the "allegations could
force Romney to re-examine his relationship with his Utah finance
co-chairman or put pressure on him to give away the contributions
Lichfield helped raise."
"Mr. Lichfield has donated to many
Republican candidates and committees. He is one of tens of thousands
of donors to the campaign. The Romney campaign will continue its
policy of making fund-raising efforts transparent," said Gail Gitcho,
Romney's Deputy Press Secretary for Regional Media.
Lichfield has not responded to a
message left today, but Ken Kay, president of World Wide Association
of Specialty Programs and Schools told The Hill that the lawsuits
are just a ploy to get money and dismissed the credibility of former
students making allegations.
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