ORLANDO, Fla. — The political unknown once tapped by Gov. Charlie Crist to lead the state Republican Party was arrested Wednesday on charges he ran a scam to bilk the party, officials said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement took former state GOP chairman Jim Greer, 47, into custody at his Orlando-area home. He is charged with one count of organized fraud, four counts of felony grand theft and one count of money laundering, said William Shepherd, Florida’s statewide prosecutor.
Crist said Wednesday that he was surprised by the arrest and knew nothing of Greer’s alleged wrongdoing.
Greer, a small-town vice mayor, was a surprise pick for party chairman after he led local efforts to help Crist get elected in 2006. He previously was the president and chief executive of a company that provides training to the hospitality industry on how to comply with alcohol laws.
Shepherd said Wednesday that Greer’s scam involved funneling GOP money to a company called Victory Strategies that he secretly controlled. On Greer’s orders, the Republican Party of Florida paid Victory Strategies for campaign work, much of which was never performed, and gave the company a 10 percent cut of major donations that Greer and his top assistant, Delmar Johnson, took.
Greer got about $125,000 of the almost $200,000 that the party paid Victory Strategies, while Johnson was paid more than $65,000, the statewide prosecutor said. Johnson is helping with the investigation and will not be charged, prosecutors said.
Greer stepped down in February. His attorney did not immediately return telephone and e-mail messages seeking comment.
