Ex-Florida GOP chief Jim Greer charged with siphoning cash

Jim Austin Greer needed money.

With his personal bank account overdrawn by an average of $10,000 a month for much of last year, prosecutors say, the Republican Party of Florida chairman plotted to get his hands on some of the millions in special-interest cash flooding the party.

The scheme: set up a ``shell company'' called Victory Strategies LLC to secretly divert party fundraising money to himself, according to state prosecutors. He, along with the party's executive director, Delmar W. Johnson III, then made sure no one else knew about it.

But Johnson struck a deal with prosecutors and told them everything.

Greer, 47, was arrested Wednesday morning at his Oviedo home and charged on six felony counts of theft, money laundering and orchestrating a scheme to defraud. He faces a maximum 30 years in prison for money laundering and fraud charges, and a maximum five-year sentence for theft charges.

Greer's attorney, Damon Chase, said his client is an innocent victim of a ``political assassination.''

The arrest capped Greer's controversial three-year reign as chairman. Throughout, he endured criticism from nearly every quarter -- save from the man who chose him for the job,Gov. Charlie Crist.

``Sometimes, you're disappointed by people,'' Crist said Wednesday, calling the incident ``disappointing and surprising.''

Asked if he bore any blame for Greer's troubles, Crist said, ``I do not feel complicit.''

Crist, however, did call for the statewide grand jury on corruption that snared Greer in its first indictment. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement affidavit detailing Greer's alleged scheme exposes a lax culture of financial management at a political party that harps on fiscal responsibility. The affidavit portrays a character -- if not a caricature -- of a shrewd and greedy insider who shoved rivals out of the way, exploited his power, and put on phony public shows of austerity as he privately used donor money for personal enrichment.

``This money,'' said statewide prosecutor Bill Shepherd, ``was laundered through Victory Strategies LLC and then used byMr. Greer to support his own personal lifestyle.''

In all, Greer is accused of diverting $125,000 in party money unlawfully. Johnson earned $65,000, but is not charged.

On the day Greer and Johnson filed the paperwork to create Victory Strategies -- Feb. 4, 2009 -- another $40,000 was transferred to Victory Strategies from a campaign committee called Jim Greer for Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Shepherd said Greer pocketed that money, too. In addition, Greer ``pleaded for financial help'' from an unnamed donor who sent him about $180,000 over 18 months, the search warrant affidavit says.

FDLE agents spent the day searching his home for documents related to Victory Strategies and his accounts at SunTrust and United Legacy Bank.

A little-known Republican from Oviedo, Greer catapulted to the top of the most powerful political party in Florida after serving on Crist's campaign for governor. Crist's campaign was fueled with at least $60 million in contributions under chief fundraiser Meredith O'Rourke, who portrayed Greer in unflattering terms to an FDLE agent.

``He realized there was a lot of money to be made in political fundraising,'' O'Rourke told Special Agent Travis Lawson.

Shortly after Greer narrowly won his chairmanship in 2007, he met with O'Rourke over her $30,000 monthly party fundraising contract, Lawson's affidavit says.

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