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ORLANDO, Fla. - An Orlando man was arrested by the FBI on Wednesday for allegedly operating political fundraising websites and keeping the money for himself.
Jason Pallante, 52, faces three charges of mail fraud and four charges of wire fraud, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office news release.
Authorities said Pallante operated the America Great PAC allegedly as a Super PAC, and created websites that looked like they supported presidential candidates during the presidential primary season.
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The websites were reportedly designed to appear affiliated with a certain candidate or campaign, by using photos of the candidate, first-person language, and the same font as the campaign, officials said.
He also accepted checks from contributors made out to presidential candidates or their campaigns, officials said. None of the money raised from the websites supported the advertised presidential candidates.
Instead, authorities said Pallante used the money raised from the websites and paid himself more than $162,000 in 2023 and $334,000 in 2024, the news release stated.
If found guilty, Pallante could face up to 20 years in prison for each charge.
The Source: The information for this article came from a U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia news release.
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