Before He Became Betty's Consultant

In 1994, Ben Campbell, State Representative from Carrollton, was convicted of three counts of bank fraud, sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison, ordered to pay $540,229 in restitution, and given 5 years of supervised probation to be served after he completed his prison sentence. His conviction caused him to forfeit his campaign for a sixth term in office.

In 1995 two of his three convictions were overturned on appeal. Campbell had been convicted of conspiracy to defraud the now defunct Flower Mound Bank in a mortgage transaction. The Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans stated that it was difficult to prove the illegal conspiracy and dropped two convictions, but reaffirmed the third conviction, saying, "we easily conclude that the evidence supports Ben's conviction for fraudulently mortgaging the property by falsely signing as president of West-Butte Corporation" (USA v. Campbell, 1995).

Campbell continued to appeal.  In 1997, the court ruled that Campbell did not need to pay restitution for his crime (then set at $211,082.18) , but they rejected his argument that he should only serve probation.  They reaffirmed a lower court's ruling that he serve 40 months for the crime of which he had been convicted.   

Betty Hires Felon Convicted of Fraud

In 2000, Campbell showed up on Betty's payroll, earning $2057.97 for "Consulting and Expense Reimbursement." A month later, he pulled down another $2000, again for consulting, and in October 2000, Betty paid him a whopping "$4,915.57" for--you guessed it--more consulting.

It was the beginning of a long professional relationship between Betty and her ex-convict consultant. Between August 2000 and February 2006, Betty paid Campbell $77,068.61 of her contributors' money. Nice gig for a guy whose felony conviction prevents him from voting.

However, if you go to Betty's campaign finance reports on the Texas Ethics Commission website, you won't find a "Ben Campbell" listed as the recipient of all this money. Between 2000 and 2005, he received it under the name "Cas Management Ltd.," and since October 2005, he has been operating under the name "Texas Strategy, Inc." Both titles list his home address in Dripping Springs on Betty's campaign finance reports.

I know he's an ex-con, but he's so helpful!

So what does a "consultant" of Campbell's caliber do for Betty? In 2002, Campbell was referred to as Betty's campaign manager (which means he would have had a say in how her campaign money was spent). Earlier, in January 2002, he represented Betty (at her request) in a Texas Department of Transportation Commission Meeting. To find out the full extent of Campbell's work for Betty Brown, it would be best to ask Betty, but since she does not have a record of responding to questions she does not like, nor does she have a record of forthrightness when she finally decides to give an answer, I don't know how much good that would do. But I encourage anyone interested in the issue to try:  ask Betty why she has kept Campbell on her payroll. Maybe you will have better luck getting Betty to respond than I have had in the past.

But campaign dollars are not the only thing Campbell received from Betty Brown.  You might ask, "What does an ex-con get, besides $77,000 in her contributors' money?"  The answer:  Influence . . . which leads to more money.

Ben Campbell is a lobbyist, and in 2007 he had two clients: the Texas Chiropractic Association and the Texas Organization for Residential Care Homes (TORCH). Betty's other consultant Jordan Berry is a lobbyist for TORCH as well. Jordan Berry and Ben Campbell run in the same circles: both have been paid by Betty Brown, both lobby for TORCH, and both lobbied for the Texas Chiropractic Association at the same time. Here's the real kicker: while Campbell and Berry were lobbying for TORCH, Betty Brown worked on legislation to benefit their client and was later granted an award by their client for her work. From Betty's Legislative Update (9/7/07):

Recently, Rep. Brown was awarded Legislator of the Year by the Texas Organization of Residential Care Homes (TORCH). They honored her for of [sic] her work to increase rates for Community Care for the Aged and Disabled (CCAD) and Community Based Alternatives (Medicaid waiver), for authoring an amendment to HB 1055, which enabled aged nursing homes to be converted into assisted living centers, and for her dedication and support to HB 1168, which requires the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission to develop and implement a pilot program to license boarding houses. Upon receiving the award, Rep. Brown stated "This is a wonderful honor, for which I am very proud. Community care is vital for so many people, and I am dedicated to make sure it is accessible and of the highest standards."

Of course she's "dedicated": two of her consultants were lobbyists for TORCH while Betty was in Austin during the legislative session.  Notice that Betty failed to mention her consultants were employed by the group.  Apparently, it's not enough to be in need of residential care in Betty's district: one should hire consultants Betty has hired in order to guarantee she will act as "your voice" in Austin.

THE BOTTOM LINE:  Betty Brown hired an ex-convict charged with fraud, paid him tens of thousands of dollars, worked on legislation to benefit his client, and then accepted an award from that same client.  Yet somehow Betty expects us to believe she has our best interests at heart.

Folks, this kind of wheeling and dealing makes the stomach turn--and it comes from our State Representative!  Felons who have paid their debt to society should be able to obtain gainful employment after their sentences have been served.  That's not in question here.  What I worry about is a State Representative who brings one into the fold, who pays for his advice on matters that affect you and me, and who accepts an award offered by his client, without ever bringing these facts to the light of day.

When is it going to end?  Obviously not as long as Betty is in office.  At the very best, this pattern shows a disturbing lapse in judgment.  At worst--well, you can draw your own conclusions. 

UPDATE

Campaign finance reports are out for the last half of 2007.  Ben Campbell received an additional $15,000 from Betty's campaign, raising the grand total she has paid this talented ex-con to $92,068.61.  Campbell's first payment came in September 2007, right after his lobby client presented Betty with an award.

Jordan Berry received an additional $3,266.59 during the same period.  Betty paid him $766.59 three days before the Cedar Creek Pilot printed his Letter to the Editor attacking the author of this website.  Berry's payments are listed as "reimbursements," but are not itemized, as the Texas Ethics Commission requires.

"Putting Austin First" is turning out to be lucrative for Betty, yielding tens of thousands of dollars from special interest groups and lobbyists!  Click below to find out where Betty gets her money.

Betty's Campaign $$$