Two North Carolina Lawyers Plead Guilty to Conspiracy Involving Scam Political Action Committee

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 9, 2023, and June 12, 2023, respectively, Jack Daly (age: 51) and Nathanael Pendley (age: 61) pled guilty to conspiring to (i) commit mail fraud and (ii) lie to the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”).

According to court documents, the conspiracy centered on a political action committee (the “Draft PAC”) that Daly and Pendley ostensibly formed to convince David Clarke, Jr., the former Sheriff of Milwaukee County, to campaign for a seat in the United States Senate.  In soliciting contributions to the Draft PAC, Daly and Pendley falsely represented that donor contributions would be used to support an effort to draft Clarke to run for Senate.  Over the relevant period, the Draft PAC raised over $1.6 million. Most of this money was spent on additional fundraising to personally benefit Daly and Pendley, not genuine efforts to convince Clarke to run for office. 

Court documents further demonstrate that Daly and Pendley solicited donations through the Draft PAC  after they became aware that Clarke had publicly announced that he would not run for a Senate seat and had characterized the Draft PAC as a “scam.”  When confronted by Clarke about the Draft PAC’s ongoing solicitations, Daly and  Pendley lied to Clarke and suggested that the Draft PAC’s new Treasurer was responsible.  They also submitted false and misleading information to the Federal Election Commission, including a post-dated “FEC  Form 1” which identified the Draft PAC’s intern, Z.Z., as its Treasurer, replacing Daly.  In fact, as Daly and Pendley knew, Z.Z. was not performing any duties as Treasurer or undertaking any responsibilities as Treasurer.

Both defendants are scheduled  for sentencing hearings before District Court Judge J.P. Stadtmueller in September 2023.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Knight and Benjamin Taibleson.

# #  #

For Additional Information Contact:

Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

414-297-1700

Follow us on Twitter