Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Page 1
Consultant Claims Jackson Campaign Lied About Donor
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The consultant for Jackie Lacey’s campaign for district attorney yesterday accused her opponent’s of lying about an event sponsored by a convicted felon whose family has been linked to more than $100,000 in direct and indirect assistance to Jackson’s campaign.
Parke Skelton said John Thomas willfully prevaricated when he told the Los Angeles Times that an event hosted by Victorino Noval at his Beverly Hills mansion earlier this year “was a Cinco de Mayo Party, not a fundraiser, and that the campaign had no record of having raised any money there.”
Thomas responded by saying the Lacey camp was being hypocritical, since they had held a fundraiser last week at the home of a “porn star.”
The Times reported Saturday that Noval and his adult sons had donated thousands of dollars to Jackson’s campaign, and that one son gave $100,000 to the California Republican Party a day before the party spent nearly $80,000 on mailers touting Jackson, whom the party had endorsed just four days earlier.
No Knowledge
Jackson said he had no idea that Noval, who told the Times he had met Jackson at a fundraiser and come away impressed, was a convicted felon. Noval pleaded guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion in connection with a multimillion-dollar 1990s mortgage scheme and was sentenced to federal prison in 2003.
The Jackson campaign told the newspaper it would return the money.
But Skelton produced an email dated the Wednesday before the event. The consultant said the recipient turned the email over to the Lacey campaign Monday, after the Times story appeared.
It reads in part:
“Hope all is well. I am a big supporter of...Alan Jackson. Most of my friends and family have donated the max ($1500) towards his Campaign. Please Come meet him and help him out financially!...He will be at my Cinco De Mayo Annual Celebration this Saturday Evening...I will have Mexican caterers, Mariachis. And real Mermaids swimming in the pool (found them last week and captured them). I invited a group of exclusive friends who are all professionals, partners and overseas guest and of course a bunch of nice ladies.”
Claim Called ‘Laughable’
Skelton also provided a link to a Facebook page for the Victorino Noval Foundation, which he said is funded by the estate of his late father, also Victorino Noval. Thomas said Skelton’s claim is “laughable” because the email “confirms what we’ve been saying all along,” that the event was an annual gathering hosted by Noval and not a fundraiser. “‘Annual’ means it goes on every year,” Thomas said.
The Jackson strategist also responded with a barb of his own, noting that a Lacey fundraiser was held last weekend at the home of Robert Lorsch and his wife, Kira Reed Lorsch.
Kira Reed was an actress and Playboy model, and has in recent years worked as a reporter for Playboy TV and Associated Television International, and as a writer and producer . The Internet Movie Database credits her with 80 television and film appearances, many of which were, Thomas said, “extremely demeaning to women.”
Skelton responded that the Lorsches are animal rights activists who support Lacey because of her past work on animal welfare issues. Neither of them have done anything illegal, Skelton said.
He also noted that Jackson received a contribution from well-known pornographer Larry Flynt. Campaign donation records show that Jackson received a $1,500 contribution from Flynt on June 30 of this year.
Lacey, the chief deputy district attorney, and Jackson, a deputy district attorney, were the top two finishers in the June primary and are facing off Nov. 6 for the right to succeed Steve Cooley, who is stepping down after three terms.
Copyright 2012, Metropolitan News Company