Klobuchar challenger demands answers about senator’s connection to $3.65 billion Ponzi schemer

Matthew Boyle Investigative Reporter
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Minnesota State Rep. Kurt Bills, the GOP candidate challenging Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar for her senate seat, is demanding Klobuchar answer questions about her involvement with Ponzi schemer Tom Petters in the 1990s and 2000s.

“Some troubling documents have come to light about Senator Klobuchar’s relationship to Tom Petters’ Ponzi scheme,” Bills said in a statement Monday. “Reports surfaced that, while Hennepin County Attorney, Amy Klobuchar may have caught Petters committing fraud and chose not to prosecute him. Petters went on to perpetrate one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history, costing people over $3-1/2 billion.”

“Minnesotans I have spoken to — Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike — demand transparency and accountability for their leaders,” Bills added. “They deserve all of the facts.”

The Daily Caller reported Oct. 19 that documents show Klobuchar helped keep Petters out of prison by choosing to prosecute only his early co-conspirators. (RELATED: Sen. Klobuchar took Ponzi schemer’s campaign contributions, didn’t prosecute)

The documents show she had enough evidence to target Petters during the early years of what would grow to become a $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme. Klobuchar accepted more than $120,000 in political donations from Petters and his employees.

Klobuchar’s Senate office tried to delay the publication of TheDC’s Oct. 19 report, and ultimately refused to comment on the record.

Bills said it’s not acceptable for the senator to “hide” and refuse comment. “As our Senator, Amy Klobuchar has often called for accountability in others. It is time she provides her constituents with the same,” he said.

“Why did she not prosecute Tom Petters in 1999 when she had the chance?” Bills asked. “She prosecuted his accomplices. Why not him?”

“What happened to the evidence regarding Tom Petters, [Richard] Hettler, and [Ruth] Kahn? Klobuchar’s office took documents out of the public domain in 1999.”

“When he was finally caught, why did Klobuchar donate his contributions to charity instead of returning the money to the victims; and why did it take 2 years for her to return the remaining stolen money to the victims restitution fund after Petters’ conviction?”

Klobuchar’s Senate office again refused to comment Monday.

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