Maricopa County Dems refer mailer issue to Arizona attorney general, US Postal Service to investigate
The Maricopa County Democratic Party is asking the state Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Postal Service to investigate the controversy over a 2022 election mailer that has forced the resignation of two party officials and raised questions of cronyism and possible mail fraud.
The referrals were sent to the two agencies on Friday, Jon Ryder, the party's interim executive director, wrote in an email on Saturday to party members.
Ryder and party attorneys had started an investigation into the matter, which revolved around a botched plan to spend $24,000 on a campaign mailer targeted to 118,000 Democratic voters before the November 2022 election. The mailer was never sent.
The internal investigation accelerated, Ryder said, when the party got new information on Aug. 7. He did not specify what that was, but said it sealed the decision to seek a full investigation by the two agencies.
The referrals included that evidence, as well as exhibits, he said, adding he would need to consult with attorneys before disclosing further information about the referrals.
Ryder was named interim party director after Ne'lexia Galloway resigned the post on Aug. 7. A day later, party Chair Nancy Schriber also stepped aside.
Schriber, in a statement sent to party members on Aug. 8, said she only learned the previous day of evidence that showed Galloway and her fiance, Bruce Franks, Jr., had been involved in an apparent cover-up of their actions about the mailer.
That evidence came from the political consulting firm Agave Strategy, which the party engaged to produce and distribute a campaign mailer promoting the Democratic slate of candidates on the 2022 ballot.
Agave principal Dawn Penich-Thacker told The Arizona Republic on Aug. 7 that Galloway told them to send the business to Franks, who runs a printing company called Blaque Printing EnterPrise, but to keep the move a secret. The party paid Agave $24,480, records show.
The money was apparently passed on to Franks because Penich-Thacker said the firm had to pressure Franks for the sum after the party demanded a refund when it realized the mailer never was distributed.
She said the firm only realized the mailers never happened when the party late last year asked for a refund of its $24,480 payment.
Heather Mrowiec, who was party treasurer at the time, said the refund happened only after party attorneys got involved. She added Agave never provided the party proof of its work on the project, such as postage receipts or other costs.
Mrowiec had done her own investigation into the mailer issue and discovered the postal records that purported to show the mailer had been sent were falsified.
Her findings ultimately led to the resignations of Galloway and Schriber, who had been a staunch ally of Galloway. Schriber now says she was duped by her executive director and realized that only after seeing proof of Galloway's involvement in what she called a "cover-up."
In his message to party members on Saturday, Ryder promised transparency as the investigation moves forward but cautioned he has to follow legal advice on what can and cannot be shared.
"Our intention is to restore trust in MCDP and to rebuild our county party so that once again it represents all of us and is prepared to fight and win in next year's elections," he said.
With the referrals sent, Ryder said the party will review its own policies and practices.
"Internally, we will take whatever necessary steps to make sure this never happens again," he said.
Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: @maryjpitzl.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maricopa County Dems refer mailer issue to state, federal authorities
