How fitting - in order to discover the corruption of one company we find out from who? The goverment? No. Their competitor - ES&S.
Turns out that Blackwell & others were taking tens of thousands in bribes from Diebold.
Prosecutors are investigating a $10,000 check that a Republican political consultant who works for a voting-machine company handed to the director of the Franklin County Board of Elections.
Damschroder said he also told prosecutors about a $50,000 check that Gallina said he had written to Blackwell's "political interests."
Posted on Sat, Jul. 16, 2005
Probe targets Republican's donation to election official
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Prosecutors are investigating a $10,000 check that a Republican political consultant who works for a voting-machine company handed to the director of the Franklin County Board of Elections.
The consultant, Pasquale "Pat" Gallina, visited elections director Matthew Damschroder in early 2004 on the same day that the county was opening bids for voter-registration software, Damschroder said.
"I'm here to give you $10,000," Damschroder recalled Gallina saying. "Who do I make it payable to?"
"Well, you're certainly not going to make it out to me," Damschroder said he told Gallina, who represents Diebold Election Systems. "But I'm sure the Franklin County Republican Party would appreciate a donation."
Gallina wrote the check and Damschroder said he mailed it to the county party.
Diebold didn't get the software contract, and Damschroder said he never recommended the company.
But Damschroder said he should not have taken the check.
"The crux of the issue is whether there was an attempt to bribe an official to influence the board," said Michael Colley, a Republican member of the election board.
County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien is investigating, said Board of Elections Chairman William A. Anthony Jr., who's also chairman of the Franklin County Democratic Party.
O'Brien would not comment.
Gallina said the $10,000 was his money and was simply a show of support for the local Republican Party.
Damschroder told prosecutors of Gallina's visit after his testimony was sought in a civil suit filed by one of Diebold's competitors, Election Systems and Software. ES&S charges that Secretary of State Ken Blackwell improperly favored Diebold in selecting electronic voting machines for use statewide.
Carlo LoParo, Blackwell's spokesman, called Damschroder's assertions "wild accusations." Blackwell is running for governor.
Damschroder said he also told prosecutors about a $50,000 check that Gallina said he had written to Blackwell's "political interests."
Gallina said Saturday that he never made such a donation.
Based on state law requiring touch-screen voting machines to have paper printers, Diebold's system would be the only choice.
Diebold spokesman Mike Jacobsen said the company had no involvement in Gallina's contributions.