A small North Carolina-based super PAC with ties to a Republican Senate candidate reported two donations from LLC shell corporations today. While corporations and labor unions can make direct, and unlimited, contributions to these committees, they must be identified by the recipients. But if the donor company itself is shrouded in secrecy, that transparency evaporates. In this case, however, a review of corporate records reveals the likely sources of money — a total of $50,000 — to be a car dealership and the chairman of a direct-selling company.

Grow NC Strong, a super PAC founded last May, reported raising $159,000 in 2013, and spending about $64,000 on consultants and overhead. The group made no independent expenditures on behalf of a candidate, although the group’s website proclaims support for Thom Tillis, a Republican challenger to Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.).

According to the filings made this morning, the group raised $54,000 in the second half of the year, including $25,000 donations apiece from Dawn Properties LLC and TC Investor LLC. Simple Google searches on the companies don’t reveal much, but North Carolina corporate filing records shed more light on who is behind these donations.

According to the state’s records, Dawn Properties LLC shares an address and ownership with Randy Marion Automotive LLC, which was founded by Randall Marion, of Mooresville, N.C. Marion operates a chain of car dealerships , selling GM and Subaru cars.

Help us keep government accountable by making a donation today.

TC Investor LLC is slightly more mysterious. According to state records , it is registered by a corporate agent company that effectively shields the founder’s name. However, another LLC is listed as the company’s manager — Praescient LLC, which is registered at a rented UPS mailbox. State records show that Praescient’s registered agent is a Charlotte, N.C., attorney and its manager is a man named Robert Stevanovski; his wife, Sonya Stevanovski, is listed as a member. Both Marion and Stevanovski, and their wives, have contributed the maximum $2,600 apiece to Tillis’ primary effort this election cycle.

Stevanovski is chairman of ACN Inc, a company that provides energy and telecom services around the world, but using a “direct selling” method, which recruits independent sales representatives who then recruit other representatives.





Image: Thom Tillis (AP). This isn’t the first time the super PAC has reported donations from a shell corporation. In June, it received another $25,000 donation from a Georgia-based company called “Standard Holding Corp.” Georgia state corporate records do not show a company by that name, but North Carolina records do , listing a Charlotte businessman named George Sywassink Jr., as managing member. Sywassink has contributed $11,800 to GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.).



For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: [email protected]





Support Accountability Journalism At OpenSecrets.org we offer in-depth, money-in-politics stories in the public interest. Whether you’re reading about 2020 presidential fundraising, conflicts of interest or “dark money” influence, we produce this content with a small, but dedicated team. Every donation we receive from users like you goes directly into promoting high-quality data analysis and investigative journalism that you can trust.Please support our work and keep this resource free. Thank you. Support OpenSecrets ➜