An Orlando man, Jason Pallante, was indicted on charges of mail and wire fraud for allegedly defrauding political donors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to the Department of Justice, Pallante used deceptive websites to collect donations intended for political candidates like Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and Nikki Haley during the 2024 election cycle.
Pallante allegedly purchased over 2,000 domains, some of which mimicked official campaign websites. These sites falsely claimed to support various candidates but funneled donations to a super PAC he controlled, America Great PAC. Prosecutors say he transferred over $496,000 to personal accounts or used the funds to maintain the scheme.
The indictment reveals that Pallante ran the operation from January 2023 to November 2024. He created at least 95 websites supporting Republican candidates and additional sites claiming to back Democrats like Gavin Newsom and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Some websites used misleading language to impersonate candidates directly, further deceiving donors.
A significant portion of the funds came from a site supporting Nikki Haley, despite her campaign issuing a cease-and-desist letter. One donor, feeling defrauded after contributing $50, only received a refund after threatening to report Pallante to the Federal Election Commission. The indictment highlights other instances where donors unknowingly supported Pallante’s PAC instead of the candidates.
If convicted on all seven charges, Pallante faces a potential maximum sentence of 140 years in prison. Federal authorities continue to investigate the extent of the scheme and its impact on political fundraising.