多名共和党人士涉案，官方已启动刑事追责并开出巨额罚单
经过数月对一起涉案金额高达 1.4 亿美元的庞氏骗局调查，美国佐治亚州州务卿布拉德・拉芬斯珀格办公室已作出多项刑事移交建议，并开出总计 100 万美元罚单，多名该州共和党人士牵涉其中。
据美国广播公司新闻网获取的信函副本及紧急行政令显示，上周，州务卿办公室已将埃德温・布兰特・弗罗斯特四世移交考维塔县地方检察官，建议追究其刑事责任，并对其处以 50 万美元罚款。此人是 “第一自由建筑信贷公司” 创始人埃德温・布兰特・弗罗斯特五世之子。
弗罗斯特五世曾担任考维塔县共和党主席，在其父公司爆雷后已宣布辞职。调查方认定，这是一起特大庞氏骗局，而弗罗斯特五世涉嫌为该公司招揽投资者。
州务卿办公室在紧急行政令中指控，弗罗斯特五世向多名投资者提供虚假及误导性信息，致使这些人向该公司投入资金超 100 万美元。
弗罗斯特五世的律师在声明中回应：“弗罗斯特先生否认所有指控。州务卿在未给他任何机会回应这些无端指控的情况下，便仓促定性并向媒体爆料。我们将继续为弗罗斯特先生辩护。”
另据美国广播公司新闻网掌握的文件，州务卿办公室还对另一名地方共和党团体负责人启动了第二轮刑事追责程序。
文件显示，该办公室已将保守派组织 “佐治亚共和党人大会” 主席蒂莫西・纳撒尼尔・达内尔移交科布县地方检察官，建议提起刑事指控，同时对其罚款 50 万美元。
行政令称，达内尔与弗罗斯特家族是 “密友”，曾为该公司介绍 45 名客户，并涉嫌收受报酬却未如实披露。文件还援引一名投资者的证词称，达内尔 “利用自身政治立场与宗教观点获取我们的信任”。
达内尔的律师同样发表声明否认紧急行政令中的所有指控：“拉芬斯珀格先生为谋求个人政治利益，仓促下结论、违规向媒体泄露信息。尽管我们此前曾请求州务卿在采取行动前给予沟通机会，但对方置之不理，在公开指控前未给我们任何申辩机会。”
声明同时表示：“我们对蒙受资金损失的人士深表同情，但仍将在此案中继续为达内尔先生辩护。”
Georgia officials issue criminal referrals, fines in alleged $140 million Ponzi scheme
After months of investigating allegations of a$140 million Ponzi scheme, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office has made numerous criminal referrals and issued $1 million in fines, ensnaring a number of state GOP figures.
Last week, Raffensperger's office referred Edwin Brant Frost IV -- the son of First Liberty Building&Loan founder Edwin Brant Frost V -- for possible criminal prosecution to the Coweta County district attorney's office,and fined him $500,000, according to a copy of the letter obtained by ABC News and an emergency order.
Frost V was the head of the Coweta County GOP, but resigned in the wake of the collapse of his father's company. He is now accused of soliciting investors to the firm in what investigators call a massive Ponzi scheme.
The secretary of state's office, in the emergency order, claims Frost V "provided false and misleading information" to multiple investors, who in turn invested over $1 million with the firm.
In a statement, an attorney for Frost V said, "Mr. Frost denies the allegations. The Secretary of State did not provide him an opportunity to address his baseless accusations before rushing to judgment and to the press. We will continue to defend Mr. Frost."
The secretary of state's office has also made a second referral for possible criminal prosecution against a leader of a local GOP group, according to a copy of the letter obtained by ABC News and an emergency order.
The secretary of state's office, according to the letter, referred Timothy Nathaniel Darnell -- the president of the conservative group Georgia Republican Assembly -- for possible criminal charges to the Cobb County district attorney and fined him $500,000.
Darnell, according to Raffensperger's office, was "close friends" with the Frost family and placed 45 clients in their firm, for which he allegedly received compensation without disclosing it, according to the emergency order. One investor in an affidavit said Darnell "used his political and religious views to gain our trust," the order said.
Darnell's attorney, in a statement, said, "Mr. Darnell denies the allegations in the Emergency Order."
"Mr. Raffensperger has rushed to judgment and improperly rushed to the press for his own political gains." the statement said. "Although we previously asked the Secretary of State for the chance to discuss this matter before it took any action, the Secretary of State ignored that request and did not provide us an opportunity to address these allegations before making them public."
"Although we have sympathy for those who lost money, we will continue to defend Mr. Darnell in this matter," the attorney's statement said.
