Company touted by Trump to build the wall has history of fines, violations

[struggle4progress]

A decade ago, a former co-owner of the company pleaded guilty to tax fraud, and was sentenced to prison.
Friday, May 31st 2019, 6:50 AM HST

... The family-owned company, Fisher Sand & Gravel, claims it can build the wall cheaper and faster than competitors. It was among a handful of construction firms chosen to build prototypes of the President's border wall in 2017 and is currently constructing portions of barrier on private land along the border in New Mexico using private donations.

It also, however, has a history of red flags including more than $1 million in fines for environmental and tax violations. A decade ago, a former co-owner of the company pleaded guilty to tax fraud, and was sentenced to prison. The company also admitted to defrauding the federal government by impeding the IRS. The former executive, who's a brother of the current company owner, is no longer associated with it ...

The President "immediately brought up Fisher" during a May 23 meeting in the Oval Office to discuss details of the border wall with various government officials, including that he wants it to be painted black and include French-style doors, according to the Post and confirmed by CNN ...

A US government official familiar with the meeting tells CNN that the President has repeatedly mentioned the company in discussions he's had about the wall with the head of the Army Corps of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite ...

https://www.kitv.com/story/40573417/company-touted-by-trump-to-build-the-wall-has-history-of-fines-violations

[struggle4progress]

1. Quintessential Trump-Era Grift

Libby Watson
Tuesday 11:32am

... This story is bursting at the seams with an all-star lineup of right-wing scammers. The GoFundMe itself, of course, has been rocked by scandal: After the effort raised $20 million, just $980 million short of the billion-dollar goal, GoFundMe said in January that the funds would be returned, since creator Brian Kolfage had originally pledged that “If for ANY reason we don’t reach our goal we will refund your donation.” But Kolfage quickly figured out how to keep the gravy train going, urging those who had donated to allow their donations to be redirected to a non-profit. Ultimately, $14 million of that $20 million figure was indeed rerouted by the idiots who donated it.

That non-profit became We Build The Wall, and like all good conservative con jobs, it has the celebs of the fever swamp attached to it. Not only Kris Kobach, a tenacious liar who failed at proving voter fraud is a widespread problem—but also slightly washed-up figures like Bannon, Sheriff David Clarke, Curt Schilling, and Tom Tancredo. All the stars are here!

How much sleazier could it get? Try this: the main contractor working at the site of New Wall, according to CNN, is Tommy Fisher. The Washington Post reported last week that Trump had “personally and repeatedly urged the head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers” to give the contract for the border wall to the company owned by Fisher, a “GOP donor and frequent guest on Fox News,” despite the fact that the Corps of Engineers previously said Fisher’s proposals didn’t meet their requirements ...

So .. A tax-exempt non-profit raised $20 million by claiming it would be able to make the federal government build Wall by just giving it the money for it and then, when that didn’t happen, getting most of its donors to reroute that money; then it built a half-mile of wall on private land for as much as $8 million, which went to a firm of a Fox News star whom President Trump adores ...

https://splinternews.com/the-gofundme-border-wall-is-the-quintessential-trump-er-1835062340

[safeinOhio]

2. Just follow the kickbacks to

overseas accounts.