Reporter Confronts Big-Shot Treasurer Accused of Big-Time Fraud, Wonders Where the Money Went
Screenshot (MyFox 11)
No report on a political figure accused of fraud is complete without a shot of the figure's lavish home (or homes) and a new car with the dealer plates still on.
But that's not when MyFox reporter Gina Silva found when she tried to track down embattled campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee for a comment at her home in Bixby Knolls.
Durkee stepped back into her truck and turned away, refusing to comment. Her husband was driving and he tried to make a quick getaway, but the truck stalled. If Durkee has taken millions from Democratic politicians ranging from the local city council to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, it appears that none of it went to the upkeep of the family truck.
Her frumpy appearance (confirmed by the video) makes it hard to tell where exactly the siphoned money went. This is part of what may have caught politicians off-guard, according The Orange County Register:
People who know Durkee, 58, describe her as frumpy, with a bargain-store wardrobe. Her Long Beach home is weather-beaten, with paint peeling from the front door and a rusted doorbell hanging from the wall. The front lawn is dry and yellow. The flowerbed is thorny and overgrown. She owns a dirt-encrusted 1995 Audi, with tags that expired nearly a year ago."She lived a modest life, drove a modest car, wore modest clothes," said Frank Barbaro, chairman of the Orange County Democratic Party. "That's why it's so surprising."
Durkee was arrested early this month on mail fraud charges. The U.S. Attorney's Office's complaint against her alleges that she used the money from campaign committees to pay for really boring stuff "her mortgage, her American Express bill, entertainment costs — including money paid to Amazon.com and Baskin-Robbins — and the monthly charge for caring for her mother at a Belmont Village assisted-care facility."
In the meantime, Democratic politicians are still reeling and checking their ledgers. Feinstein donated $5 million to her own campaign, which gives you an idea of the scandal's scope.
