Republican Lt. Gov. candidate Anne Brensley is speaking out after reportedly falling victim to fraud by a political consultant she hired to collect ballot signatures for her campaign.
Brensley, of Wayland, says she is going to keep on fighting to make the ballot while she takes legal action against Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office and considers a civil suit against consultant Joe Bronske.
“My campaign isn’t over. I’m just deciding what to do at this moment in time. There is no way I’m going to allow this to continue to happen in Massachusetts. So, if I need to run on this issue of voter integrity, then I plan on running on that issue because I’m seeing the massive flaw in it,” Brensley told the Herald over the phone.
“But, it also makes me nervous for any upcoming election because how do we know the mail-in ballots aren’t being abused the same way?” Brensley said. “The system…
Investment fraud targets the human desire for financial growth by promising high returns with “low to no risk.”
- Ponzi Schemes: Named after Charles Ponzi, these schemes pay “returns” to earlier investors using the capital brought in by newer investors. There is no actual underlying business; the system collapses when new recruitment slows down.
- Pyramid Schemes: Similar to Ponzi schemes, but participants are usually required to sell a product or service. The primary “profit” comes from the recruitment fees of new members rather than actual product sales.
- Pump and Dump: Fraudsters spread false, positive rumors about a cheap stock (the “pump”) to drive up the price. Once the price peaks, they sell their shares (the “dump”), leaving other investors with worthless stock.