Federal investigators probing campaign spending by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, are looking for evidence of fraud, falsified documents and conspiracy in addition to improper personal spending of political contributions, according to a search warrant affidavit.

The new court document was filed to justify a February search of the offices of Hunter’s treasurer in Virginia.

According to the warrant, investigators are searching for evidence of “a scheme to defraud First National Bank by making false statements related to video game charges which resulted in the refunding or crediting of charges not properly due” in 2016.

Some $1,300 of video game charges were among the unusual expenses questioned by the Federal Election Commission and first reported by Union-Tribune in April 2016.


Hunter’s office said a few of the charges were made mistakenly by his teenaged son, in part because of a mix-up between two blue credit cards. Hunter also said the bulk of the charges were fraudulent and would be reversed and credited back to the campaign credit card.

The search warrant suggests that federal agents are investigating whether the refunds were themselves obtained fraudulently.

A Union-Tribune review of Hunter’s campaign finance disclosures shows the campaign paid 78 charges to the online video game site Steam Games totaling $1,424 between June 22, 2015 and Dec. 16, 2015.

Hunter and his wife, Margaret, reimbursed 11 charges totaling $122 in three payments, made June 30, 2015, Oct. 21, 2015, and April 8, 2016.


Sixty-five charges totaling $1,272 were marked as “fraudulent charge — refunded” on April 5, 2016, amended campaign reports show.

The couple also reimbursed the campaign an unspecified amount for payments to Blizzard.com, another video game website, according to a report the campaign filed with the FEC in April 2016. The Blizzard charges were paid July 23, 2015, Aug. 24, 2015 and Sept. 23, 2015.

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The amount of the Blizzard charges was not specified in the report or any previous disclosures.


Personal spending of campaign funds is forbidden to guard against undue influence by donors, and allegations that Hunter misspent campaign funds are not new. He has reimbursed his treasury more than $60,000 in personal, undocumented or mistaken expenses since 2016, and a federal criminal investigation was opened earlier this year.

In addition to the video games, reimbursed expenses have included a garage door, oral surgery, private school tuition in El Cajon, theme park expenses and a $217 purchase at a jewelry store in Italy.

The new court document was discovered and posted on Twitter on Wednesday by Seamus Hughes of the George Washington University Program on Extremism.

The search warrant seeks financial documents and all relevant communications among Hunter, his wife and former campaign manager Margaret Hunter, aide Joe Kasper, treasurer Christopher Marston and Election CFO employee Brenda Hankins.


Hunter’s former chief of staff, Victoria Middleton, and his former office manager and scheduler, Caroline DeBeikes, are also named.

In addition to the alleged video game charge fraud, investigators seek evidence of spending of campaign funds for personal use, falsification of Hunter’s reports to the Federal Election Commission, falsification of any such reports with the intent to impede or influence an investigation and conspiracy to commit any of the other crimes.

The affidavit also indicates that agents are investigating a timeframe that precedes any of the charges that have come into question. Agents sought financial documents dating back to February 2010.

Among the evidence investigators seized were computers, bills, external hard drives and computer files such as a spreadsheet of accounts receivables for Election CFO, the campaign accounting firm, according to the affidavit.


Hunter’s office and attorney did not respond to requests for comment, nor did Margaret Hunter.

Duncan Hunter told Politico in March that he didn’t make any of the questionable expenditures himself and took part in no criminal action.

A spokeswoman for the FBI’s offices in Washington, D.C., declined the Union-Tribune’s request for comment because the investigation was ongoing.

Chris Marston, treasurer for Hunter’s campaign and a consultant with Election CFO, declined Wednesday to comment. He referred questions to his lawyer, Jason Torchinsky.


On behalf of Marston and Hankins, Torchinsky said, “Both have cooperated fully with all government inquiries related to the (campaign) committee. Neither Election CFO or any of its employees have reason to believe that they are subjects of any investigation.”

Hunter’s campaign reported paying Torchinsky’s firm $55,533 between May 15 and June 30, according to campaign finance disclosures on file with the FEC. The campaign reported another $57,056 in debt to the firm.

Previously: Hunter


morgan.cook@sduniontribune.com