TEXAS – A former political consultant of Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst plead guilty to stealing about $1.8 million from Dewhurt’s campaign funds, officials said.
Kenneth Barfield aka “Buddy Barfield,” 58, plead on Tuesday to one count of wire fraud, one count of making a false tax return and one count of embezzlement of federal campaign funds.
Barfield is facing up to 28 years in prison when he is sentenced. His sentencing has not yet been scheduled, officials said.
“Whenever an individual utilizes their position to defraud the public for their own personal gain by stealing campaign contributions, it tarnishes our political process. The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure those who choose to line their pockets with public funds and abuse their positions of trust are held accountable,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs.
One year after Kenneth “Buddy” Barfield was first accused of stealing huge sums of money from the campaign accounts of Dewhurst, the Dallas Morning News newspaper reported that Barfield agreed to turn over his lavish West Austin home and various business assets to Dewhurst to settle a civil lawsuit filed by Dewhurst the previous year.
Sale proceeds from Barfield’s home, which has been listed at $2.8 million, will be pooled with the assets of Barfield’s businesses to repay Dewhurst’s campaign accounts for lieutenant governor and his 2012 U.S. Senate race. The home was valued at $1.37 million by the Travis County Appraisal District in 2013, the newspaper reported.
In all, the judgment states that the David Dewhurst Committee and Dewhurst for Texas campaign accounts should receive $3,750,000 from the Barfield properties. It lists seven Barfield companies, including Alexander Group Consulting, which conducted campaign work for Dewhurst and other candidates, according to the Dallas Morning News.
IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge William Cotter said: “Honest and law abiding citizens are fed up with greedy individuals who abuse the trust they are granted and use deceit and fraud to line their pockets with other people’s money. Today’s guilty plea demonstrates the collective efforts of IRS and our partners to enforce the law and ensure public trust.”
According to court documents, Barfield, and through his Austin-based companies, was a member of the campaign staff and committee for Dewhurst’s run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2012.
Barfield and his companies were responsible for securing, paying, subcontracting legal and legitimate activities on behalf of Dewhurst’s campaign.
Barfield admitted using the money for his own personal expenses including his home mortgage, school tuition for his children, personal investments and other living expenses. Also he admitted that on his 2008 Income Tax return, he knowingly stated that his Taxable Income was zero when, in fact, his Taxable Income should have been reported as approximately $582,000, officials said.
Barfield said that under his direction, fraudulent documentation was submitted in disclosure reports to the Federal Elections Commission regarding expenditures for campaign disbursements.
“This case should serve as a reminder of the unfortunate truth that some people abuse positions of trust to enrich themselves at the expense of others, including, in this case, the taxpayers,” stated U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman.