Paul Erickson (activist)
[2] In November 2019, Erickson pleaded guilty to federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with an effort to defraud investors in an oil development scheme.
Abramoff later wrote, "To every college Republican who contacted the national office, Paul Erickson was by far the most impressive person they had ever encountered in politics.
"[4] Also while in college, Erickson wrote "Fritzbusters", a comedy routine that was critical of Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale which had similarities to the then newly released film Ghostbusters (1984).
[7] Stephen Moore, founder of the right-leaning limited-government group Club for Growth often relies on what he calls Erickson's “clever and creative ideas.”[8] However, Lee Schoenbeck, a former Republican Watertown Representative to the South Dakota House of Representatives, has called him "the single biggest phony I’ve ever met in South Dakota politics.
[4] From 1993 to 1994, Erickson acted as a media adviser, agent, and lawyer for John Wayne Bobbitt, whose wife Lorena had cut off his penis with a kitchen knife.
[9] Mobutu sought a visit to the United Nations to claim credit for this offer, but his visa request was ultimately denied due to his past human rights abuses.
This venture led to senior care consulting spinoffs, independent living communities and the licensing of medical technology.
[4] On February 6, 2019, Erickson was indicted by a grand jury in the US District of South Dakota for wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his activities with Compass Care and for defrauding investors of Investing with Dignity, a start-up wheelchair development and manufacturing venture.
[11][12][13] In November 2019, Erickson pleaded guilty to federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with an effort to defraud investors in an oil development scheme.
[7] Erickson, Butina, and Torshin have been part of an investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.
[20][17] Torshin has also been the subject of a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into whether the Russian government attempted to illegally funnel money to the NRA in order to help Trump win the presidency.
