SAN DIEGO—A Southern California congresswoman said her campaign was robbed of about $250,000 at the hands of a longtime Democratic campaign accountant who clients included U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and dozens of other California politicians.
U.S. Rep. Susan Davis made the claim to supporters after federal prosecutors charged Kinde Durkee with fraud. Ms. Feinstein said she was “wiped out” by Ms. Durkee, according to Politico.
“As this scandal emerges, she may well become known as the Bernie Madoff of campaign finance treasurers,” Ms. Davis, the San Diego Democrat, wrote in an email.
Ms. Feinstein’s campaign, which had a cash balance of $5 million on June 30, believes it suffered losses but that determining how much will take time, said campaign adviser Bill Carrick. He said Ms. Durkee commingled clients’ funds, making it difficult to understand whose money went where.
“This is an extraordinarily complex situation,” Mr. Carrick said. “Nobody really knows what happened here.”
Ms. Durkee’s attorney, Daniel Nixon, didn’t immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.
Ms. Durkee had authority over more than 400 bank accounts, including political campaigns, according to the federal complaint filed earlier this month.
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