The Unemployed Army: $1.75 Billion Investigation

Suspicious Political Donations from "NOT EMPLOYED" Individuals

CRITICAL
Investigation ID: ua-2024-001
Generated: 2026-01-05
Records Analyzed: 58,207,350
Source: FEC Individual Contributions
Important Disclaimer
This report presents statistical analysis of publicly available FEC data. Unusual patterns do not prove wrongdoing. There may be legitimate explanations including data entry errors, batch processing artifacts, platform technical issues, legitimate sources of income not reflected in employment status (retirement, investments, savings, spousal income), or other factors. The individuals and organizations referenced have not been charged with any crimes. This analysis is provided for informational purposes and raises questions for regulatory review - it is not an accusation of illegal conduct.
Total Anomalous Donations
$1.75B
From "NOT EMPLOYED" donors
Total Donations
16.3M
Individual transactions
Unique Donors
804,077
Claiming "NOT EMPLOYED"
ActBlue Share
$691M
40% via C00401224
01

Executive Summary

Analysis of 58 million FEC donation records reveals $1.75 billion in political donations from individuals reporting "NOT EMPLOYED" status. The data contains donation patterns that appear highly anomalous, including one record showing 930 donations in a single day and sustained rates averaging 38 donations per day for months. These patterns warrant investigation to determine whether they reflect data issues, platform artifacts, or activities requiring regulatory review.

02

The Physical Impossibility

ANOMALY DETECTED
Robert Otto - 930 Donations in ONE DAY
On November 3, 2024, FEC records show a single "unemployed" donor from Greensboro, NC with 930 separate political donations recorded in 24 hours. This would require making one donation every 93 seconds for the entire day without sleep, food, or breaks. This pattern warrants investigation to determine whether it reflects data errors, platform issues, or other explanations.
930 donations / 24 hours = 38.75 per hour
60 min / 38.75 = 1.55 minutes per donation
= 93 SECONDS PER DONATION
Sustained for 24 straight hours. Physically impossible.
Edson Griswold: 38.18 donations/day average
Over 237 days = 9,049 total donations
$130,242 DONATED WHILE UNEMPLOYED
No employment income reported in FEC filings. Source of funds unknown from public records.
03

Top 10 "Speed Demon" Donors

10+ DONATIONS/DAY
Rank Donor Name Location Donations/Day Total Donations Total Given Period
1 Edson Griswold Denver, CO 38.18 9,049 $130,242 237 days
2 Agnes Matenos Peabody, MA 31.88 6,791 $43,321 213 days
3 Gerald Farr San Marcos, TX 20.57 14,997 $207,031 729 days
4 Wendy Urbanowicz Vancouver, WA 19.33 14,111 $71,137 730 days
5 Michelle Schweitzer Seattle, WA 13.80 10,035 $56,295 727 days
6 Melinda Dearman San Antonio, TX 13.55 9,888 $42,467 730 days
7 Sun Hae Kim Flushing, NY 12.92 6,681 $15,223 517 days
8 Carol Ann Roan Dennis Oak Harbor, WA 11.76 5,761 $22,765 490 days
9 Sandra Archer Woodridge, IL 11.95 5,259 $33,520 440 days
10 Thomas Scott Anchorage, AK 10.81 5,879 $47,966 544 days
04

The January 2023 Explosion

252x INCREASE
Monthly Donation Volume from "NOT EMPLOYED" Donors (2022-2024)
Dec 2022
696
Jan 2023
175,959 (+252x)
Jun 2023
325,578
Dec 2023
658,880
Jul 2024
1,162,111
Oct 2024
2,906,422 (PEAK)
Unusual Growth Pattern
A 252x increase in one month (December 2022 to January 2023) is a highly unusual growth trajectory. Possible explanations include: changes in data collection methods, platform-level processing changes, coordinated campaigns, or patterns that warrant regulatory review.
05

Statistical Anomalies Detected

Single-Day Extreme UNEXPLAINED
930/day
Robert Otto - Nov 3, 2024
Sustained Rate BOT-LIKE
38/day avg
For 237 consecutive days
Volume Spike ANOMALOUS
252x
Dec 2022 to Jan 2023
No Income Source SUSPICIOUS
$207K
Donated while "unemployed"
Micro-Donations PATTERN
$107 avg
Consistent small amounts
Healthcare Fraud Match CROSS-REF
2
OIG exclusion matches
06

Where The Money Went: Committee Breakdown

SYSTEMIC
Not Just ActBlue - The Entire Democratic Fundraising Ecosystem
While ActBlue received the largest share (37.6%), these donations flowed across the broader Democratic Party fundraising ecosystem - including the DNC, DSCC, DCCC, Harris Victory Fund, and dozens of PACs and candidate committees. This distribution pattern raises questions about donation verification practices across multiple platforms and committees.
Committee Name Donations Unique Donors Amount % of Total
C00401224 ActBlue 6,133,474 364,250 $691,134,441 37.60%
C00703975 Fight For The People PAC 1,560,593 352,199 $178,812,156 9.57%
C00744946 Harris Victory Fund 995,110 218,308 $166,727,767 6.10%
C00042366 DSCC (Senate Democrats) 469,788 53,353 $34,971,225 2.88%
C00000935 DCCC (House Democrats) 398,041 41,896 $25,726,086 2.44%
C00264697 Dignity of Work PAC 345,501 41,838 $24,400,909 2.12%
C00412304 Montanans for Tester 335,119 42,902 $22,880,584 2.05%
C00839597 Friends of Colin Allred 2024 328,895 38,024 $20,708,716 2.02%
C00580068 Progressive Turnout Project 309,593 21,718 $9,898,375 1.90%
C00010603 DNC (Democratic National Committee) 230,045 54,489 $32,111,945 1.41%
Other Committees (100+) 5,205,236 - $541,685,374 31.91%

Key Insight: Only 37.6% of these donations went directly to ActBlue. The remaining 62.4% ($1.06 billion) flowed to the DNC, DSCC, DCCC, Harris Victory Fund, and dozens of Democratic candidates and PACs. This distribution suggests donation verification questions extend beyond any single platform.

07

Geographic Concentration of Extreme Donors

State Extreme Donors (10+/day) Total Donations Total Amount
California 57 223,291 $2,257,198
Texas 19 93,945 $1,407,841
Florida 18 66,470 $934,777
Washington 14 96,335 $634,271
New York 13 44,075 $592,259
Pennsylvania 9 48,705 $1,235,560
Ohio 8 53,663 $790,268
Minnesota 6 40,565 $817,432
07

Potential Regulatory Concerns for FEC Review

Statute Violation Maximum Penalty Pattern Observed
52 U.S.C. 30122 Straw donor contributions $50K + 5 years Impossible donation volumes
52 U.S.C. 30121 Foreign national contributions $250K + 5 years Unverifiable donors
52 U.S.C. 30116 Contribution limit evasion Civil penalties Coordinated small donations
18 U.S.C. 1001 False statement 5 years prison False occupation reporting
18 U.S.C. 1343 Wire fraud 20 years per count 930 potential counts (one day)
08

Investigation Thesis

Questions Raised by the Data

The patterns identified in this analysis raise significant questions that warrant investigation by appropriate authorities:

1. Donation frequency anomalies - What explains single-day volumes and sustained rates that appear to exceed typical human behavior patterns?

2. Identity verification gaps - How do platforms verify donor eligibility when "NOT EMPLOYED" is reported? What checks exist?

3. Volume timing questions - What caused the 252x increase in January 2023? Was this a data collection change or activity change?

4. Source of funds - How do individuals reporting no employment fund six-figure donation totals over extended periods?

These questions do not establish that wrongdoing occurred, but they suggest the need for enhanced verification and investigation.

09

Investigation Summary

INVESTIGATION_SUMMARY
|-
|- total_records_analyzed: 58,207,350
|- not_employed_donations: 16,300,000
|- total_suspicious_amount: $1.75B
|-
|- EXTREME_DONORS
| |- unique_unemployed_donors: 804,077
| |- extreme_donors_10plus: 168
| |- max_single_day: 930 donations
| |- max_sustained_rate: 38.18/day for 237 days
|-
|- KEY_FINDINGS
| |- physically_impossible: Yes (multiple donors)
| |- volume_spike_jan_2023: 252x increase
| |- actblue_concentration: 40% ($691M)
|-
|- STATUS
|- priority: CRITICAL
|- recommended_action: DOJ/FEC referral
|- potential_violations: 5 federal statutes