I say go with the entrapment defense. The clean money system is an unfair temptation.

Now, will they ever go after the one that put him up to it?
Or will he be the "fall guy"?

They only mention Boyles in the report, didnt he also collect sigs for a couple other candidates that didnt get the public money? That would still be a crime, right?

Golovan collected 1000 signatures for Lucinda Tate and turned them in after Anna Griffin's story broke. The auditor's office wouldn't certify those signatures. He also approached Bruce Broussard, but Bruce didn't bite. Apparently Golonov was agreeing to collect the signatures for a flat rate... I think it was 10 grand. The loosey goosey rules for VOE did not preclude paid signature gathering. Interesting that paying by the signature is illegal statewide, but no such prohibition in VOE.

Auditor Blackmer is absolutely responsible for this fumble. If Anna Griffin hadn't done his job for him, Boyles would have gotten the money and spent it all, no questions asked.

All you had to do was leaf through the signature sheets to see that some of the signatures were fake. Anna did more, though -- calling up some of the folks and asking them if they gave money to Boyles. Their response: "Who?"

I wonder if I could get a CPA in three years?

Remember Emilie's "you have to remember, most of these folks come from the former Soviet Union, where you could be jailed for speaking to a reporter" excuse for why people on those signature sheets were telling reporters that they had no idea who Emilie Boyles was. That was perhaps the funniest moment of all, though there have been many.

I laugh every time I read that VOE was such "a success"...A success for whom?

A successful reelection of both incumbents without so much as a runoff?

A successful demonstration that Blackmer couldn't find fraud if walked into his office and slapped him in the face?

A successful grand jury investigation that may (eventually) incarcerate a small time hood?

A successful garnishment of Emilie's wages for the next three centuries?

A success for Erik Sten who managed to finance his eventual campaign for mayor without having to face any conflict of interest allegations.

A successful repudiation of progressive goals by political opportunism?

I could go on and on, but Christmas Lights await my death defying ladder climbing demonstration.

At least the Tribune used a mugshot. The KGW page uses a crop from that picture of him with the Gov...too back they didnt use the whole picture...now that would have been funny! ;-)