Wisconsin investigative reporter and researcher Peter Bernegger of Election Watch Incorporated was arrested and booked by the Dane County Sheriff this morning for “Simulating Legal Process,” according to the Dane County Sheriff’s website. Bernegger was intricately involved in exposing election campaign “smurfs,” or donors who are believed to be unknowingly used to launder numerous small-dollar donations to political candidates. Bernegger previously told The Gateway Pundit that the “smurfing” scheme “looks like the largest money laundering scheme in the history of the country.”
In March 2023, O’Keefe Media Group’s James O’Keefe interviewed several of these unsuspecting “smurfs” to see if they had donated large quantities of money to candidates and political action committees such as ACTBlue through numerous small-dollar donations. Of course, they hadn’t. These donations often amounted to thousands of dollars from “unemployed” (retired) seniors in numerous small donations.
Democrats such as Senators Raphael Warnock and John Fetterman, Governors Katie Hobbs and Gretchen Whitmer, Congressman Troy Carter, and Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz were reported beneficiaries of this operation. Protasiewicz was recently elected to swing the makeup of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in favor of the Democrats.
FOX News eventually reported on the alleged money laundering scheme from “Democratic fundraising behemoth” ActBlue, back in April 2023 after Senator Marco Rubio demanded a Federal Elections Commission investigation into the campaign finance laundering accusations.
Now this…
Last night, Peter Bernegger was arrested by the Dane County Sheriff’s office and booked this morning for “Simulating Legal Process.” According to Wisconsin H.O.T’s Telegram page, there have only been two convictions for this crime since 1977.
“Simulating Legal Process”, WI Statute 946.68, states:
(1g) In this section, “legal process” includes a subpoena, summons, complaint, warrant, injunction, writ, notice, pleading, order or other document that directs a person to perform or refrain from performing a specified act and compliance with which is enforceable by a court or governmental agency.
(1r)
(a) Except as provided in pars. (b) and (c), whoever sends or delivers to another any document which simulates legal process is guilty of a Class I felony.
(b) If the document under par. (a) is sent or delivered with intent to induce payment of a claim, the person is guilty of a Class H felony.
(c) If the document under par. (a) simulates any criminal process, the person is guilty of a Class H felony.
(2) Proof that a document specified under sub. (1r) was mailed or was delivered to any person with intent that it be forwarded to the intended recipient is sufficient proof of sending.
(3) This section applies even though the simulating document contains a statement to the effect that it is not legal process.
(4) Violation of this section may be prosecuted in either the county where the document was sent or the county in which it was delivered.
Bernegger teamed up with Wisconsin H.O.T “to file 50 ethics complaints with the Wisconsin Elections Commission against both Democrats and Republican campaigns for allegedly accepting laundered funds and published the complaints [at] infoccc.com,” according to Wisconsin H.O.T.
Wisconsin H.O.T writes:
Supported by extensive data analysis from FEC and CFIS, Bernegger’s team meticulously documented the illicit contributions. Private investigators confirmed that many donors were falsely attributed, prompting further complaints in over 20 Wisconsin counties. The reports have exposed a web of corruption reaching even the highest levels of state government, including Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz and Attorney General Josh Kaul.
As the Department of Justice attempts to silence Bernegger, his unwavering commitment to truth and justice will only grow stronger. The lawfare tactics against him will only serve to amplify his voice and bring his investigative research to a wider audience. The arrest of Peter Bernegger is not just an attack on one man but on the fundamental principles of transparency and accountability in our democracy.
The ethics complaints filed by Bernegger include some notable names. Janet Protaziewicz is alleged to have received $1.4M and $12.3M in “alleged false donations” and “alleged campaign violations”, respectively. The complaint claims that she received 57.33% in contributions from out-of-state funds.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul also had an ethics complaint filed against him, as did Governor Tony Evers and several other state politicians and Democrat and Republican organizations.
During a December 2023 Senate hearing in Wisconsin, Sheboygan Republican Party Chairman Russ Otten and Peter Bernegger also exposed campaign donations from an organization, Democracy Found, endorsing Ranked Choice Voting through Senate Bill 528.
The post Breaking: “Campaign Finance Mule” Investigative Reporter/Researcher Peter Bernegger Arrested on Day of Wisconsin Primary – Charged With Rarely Used Crime appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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