When you open a campaign finance report the first thing you see is a list of donors supporting a campaign. But beyond the pages, if you dig and go back far enough you find a treasure chest that shows you the politicians’ political expenditures. It is the section where politicians showcase their exceptional talent for creative accounting! It is truly a treasure trove of clandestine expenditures that should make any commonsense reader wonder if they’re funding a campaign or planning a covert mission to Mars. From “strategic consulting fees” to “research expenses” it’s a riveting read for anyone interested in the fine art of obfuscation. Who needs transparency when you can have a thrilling game of financial hide-and-seek?
On John Keating’s report there is one name, Mustang Strategies LLC that appears 7 times. We were curious how one politician in less than two and half months can spend $18,655.50 with one company. We looked up the company on OpenCorporates.com and the agent’s name of record is Jason Zelovics and its office is right here in Frisco. It appears the certificate of formation is dated 08/27/2019. He also has another company called Round Table Strategies. We looked at Angelia Pelham’s report and it appears she paid $0.00 to a “consultant”, so again why has Keating spent so much?
The next item is Hope Floats Creative LLC, for whom he made two payments each for $975 on 3/1/24 and 3/20/24. According to their website they are the official publication for Frisco Lakes Community Association, Inc. Makes sense!
In January, Keating donated $2500 to Linking Cultures of Frisco for the 2024 MLK Gala. We were curious to know who runs Linking Cultures of Frisco? We visited the organizations website and according to the MLK Gala invite if you would like to be a sponsor email AngeliaPelham@LinkingCulturesOfFrisco.org. Ding, Ding Ding! Here we go again one council person donating to another council person or their organization. It leaves us asking how can Angelia ever claim to be impartial with Keating when it comes to a vote or if he were ever charged with an ethics complaint?
The last two expenditures are the most interesting and got us thinking. The first was for $2500 to Collin County Republican Party on 1/24/24 for there 2024 Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser. Turns out he has donated a lot to them over the years and that makes us wonder, can that affect an endorsement? If up against another candidate, are they going to go with Keating just because he has given money to the GOP? On a side note, OpenSecrets.org has John Keatings occupation listed as “househusband.”
The next is $475 to the Frisco Chamber for Membership fees paid on 1/2/24 and has donated or paid fee’s several times to them. It begs the question, in the upcoming forum being held April 11, 2024, will the Chamber show “BIAS” towards a new candidate. They did last year so we can only assume they will this year. Which makes us believe any new candidate who has not paid a group may have a harder time than candidate who has paid that same group.
In the end, we cannot get the math to add up on Keating’s reports. Can you?
Carried Over from Last Reporting Period: $9207.27 + Political Contributions $35,125.00 = $44,332.27
Total of Last Report and Contributions = $44,332.27 + Loan $50,000.00 = Total $94,332.27
Total $94,332.27 – Political Expenditures $31,345.83 = Total $62,986.44
Yet his Totals Page has $66,691.66 which is a difference of $3705.22. Either he can’t do math, his campaign finance person can’t do math, or something smells like a German man’s armpit. That leaves us asking, who is checking these reports and where are the checks and balances? The other concern we have is how much some of these “Consulting” companies are being paid, but that is a whole other issue to go down the rabbit hole with. One thing is clear, these practices can raise concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and the fairness of decision-making in local government.
This land is Frisco’s land, this land is Developer’s Land
From the PGA to Stonebriar Centre
From the Toyota Stadium to the Cowboy Star
This land was never made for you or me!
For some time now we have questioned the campaign finance reports of local leaders. Back in February of 2023 we wrote about Dark Money where we laid out how individuals associated with the PGA, The Link, or Fields projects donated to our current sitting city council members. If you haven’t read it, you should because it is alarming. Then just two months ago we asked the question, did Keating and Pelham accept “DIRTY FUNDS?” We are talking about the $10,000 Keating took and $5000 Pelham took in 2021 from Veton Krasniqi, a man who appears to owe the school district $24,093.47 in back taxes. How did we learn about this, a campaign finance report. As we said they can be Shakespearean sonnets of bureaucratic paperwork.
The influence of money, particularly from developers or other vested interests, in local Frisco elections is a well-known issue. In local elections, where the scale is smaller and the issues can be more directly related to specific projects or zoning decisions, developer money can have a significant impact. Developers may contribute to election campaigns of candidates who are perceived as more favorable to their interests, such as those who may be more likely to approve zoning changes or development projects.
Sometimes things are as simple as they appear, developer donations have a direct correlation to the influence of policy decisions in Frisco. Elected officials will always support policies or projects favored by developers who have supported their campaigns financially. That is why Keating’s most current campaign finance report filed 4/4/2024 should shock any resident with common sense.
When you look at Keating’s campaign finance report you quickly notice that many are developers, several don’t live here, and he is quick to spend a lot of money with consultants. To understand the first set of donors you need to understand the developer relationships at the PGA, The Link, and Fields.
Todd Armstrong, EVP and his partner Philip Rose at Cross Tie Capital each donated $1000. A DMN article listed Cross Tie Capital, based in Grapevine, as a family-owned real estate, oil and gas, and investment company. On the Republic Property Group website, it states, “The Frisco mega-development is being built with Hunt Realty, Karahan Cos., Republic Property Group, Chief Partners LP and Cross Tie Capital Ltd. and could be valued more than $10 billion.”
We are curious why the Cross Tie Capital website says it is “not secure” and appears to be inactive. Then we checked OpenCorporates and noticed the company has (2) Texas TIN numbers. Under both TIN numbers, the status is listed as “Forfeited Existence”, and the Dissolution Date is the same which is 02/23/2024. Things that make you go hmmm, that is the same day Todd Armstrong made his $1000 and Rose made his on 2/25/24. Suspicious?
Next, we have the one and only, Fehmi Karahan of the Karahan Companies. He is the mastermind behind Legacy West and the key player in the Fields development. A campaign finance report would not be complete without a $2500 donation from Fehmi. We almost feel badly for Keating because he obviously is not as valuable as Cheney who took in over $30k from him between cash and in-kind donations. Fehmi’s attorneys also donated. Jeff Brawner and RJ Grogan each donated $500, and they are partners at Grogan & Brawner PLC. According to one of the many city council meetings during the planning phase of this 10-billion-dollar deal, the City of Frisco Attorney Richard Abernathy said he spoke at length to Mr. Karahan’s attorneys whom he identified as Grogan & Brawner PLC.
The interesting thing about Fehmi Karahan, is that he donates mostly to republicans, but he did donate to Democrat, Colin Allred. He apparently is not a Trump fan either because he donated over $5000 to Nikki Haley in 2023. His attorney Jeff Brawner donated $500 to Eric Johnson in 2009 when he was a registered Democrat.
The $1000 donation list from the founders connected to the Fields/The PGA/The Link development continues with Colin Fitzgibbons, President at Hunt Realty, Chris Kleinert, CEO at Hunt Realty Investments, and William Vanderstraaten of Chief Partners. Lastly you have Mario Sinacola & Sons who are the excavating group for this big project. James Sinacola, Joseph Sinacola, and Michael Sinacola each donated $1000.
Colin Fitzgibbons according to OpenSecrets.org appears to be hard democrat who has donated to Joe Biden, Act Blue, Colin Allred, donated. Chris Kleinert also donated to Colin Allred in 2023, as well as Mitt Romney in 2012. William Vanderstraaten supports Trump with several donations.
Then we saw the name Ryan Griffin from Rockhill Capital & Investments who donated $1000 dollars. We remember that name from Cheney’s 2020 report which had him listed as FCS Construction. We googled the address on Keatings current report and tada, FSC Construction and Rockhill Capital & Investments both office there. Ryan is listed as the President of FSC Construction and Rockhill has him listed as the Principal & Chief Executive Officer. FCS is currently involved in Fields based on a DMN report and Rockhill was involved with the Estates at Rockhill, and Stonebrook Crossing. Rockhill’s current project is The Preserve – Phase 1 where they are the Construction management for 132 residential lots for Shaddock Homes. I WONDER IF THEY BUILT KEATINGS NEW HOME HE IS CLOSING ON IN THE PRESERVE SOON, that he announced at council a few weeks ago.
As for Ryan Griffin he has donated over $20K to State Rep Jared Patterson, and to a group called Patriots Always Triumph.
Then we saw two names, Richard Reupke and Robert Shaw (each donated $1000) who built Twelve, a high luxury high rise next to The Star. The night of the meeting, I remember them saying it was just a big club house for Jerry Jones and his buddies to have near The Star and of course they would occupy the two top floors. We were curious why they would donate when they have no active projects. You guessed it, they do have an active project right now and it happens to be in North Fields. Of course, we assumed it would be more luxury homes, but we were wrong. They plan to build a “RENTAL COMMUNITY PROJECT” and the first phase will be 620 apartment units. If Keating is going to break any of his density promises to residents, it must be for a buck!
If you do the math, that means Keating took in about $14,500 just from those involved in active developments that connect Hunt and Karahan. It also begs the question; with the money he has taken will he recuse himself from future votes on these projects? Was there a quid pro quo which helped him afford a house as a single man in The Preserve? How long had he kept his house a secret and did he vote at any time, on any project, after he put down his deposit or started building?
Next on the report was Craig Hall and the Hall Group, who is all for the City of Frisco having an arts center. Hall donated $5000 to Keating. We went to OpenSecrets to see the types of candidates Hall donates to and well he is a hard Democrat. Names like Nancy Pelosi, the National DNC and several state-by-state DNC groups, Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, Royce West of TX, Colin Allred, Beto O’Rourke and many more. One article on NBC News from 2019 said, “The couple has since given a minimum of $2 million to Democratic Party committees and have donated substantial amounts to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to an analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission.” It goes on to talk about how the Halls like to spend time between California and Texas and how federal regulators had been zeroing in on a series of Hall’s unpaid loans. Another article on MSN.com in Feb 2024 talks about how Hall’s California winery and how the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a subpoena seeking information from several Napa winery owners including the Hall’s.
Some other honorable mentions in Keatings report include Joseph Hansen TYME Capital Holdings (bank) – $1000 and the connection appears to be their Veteran status. Then you have the supposed to be Conservative Laura Rummell who donated $500 to Keating’s campaign and is actively promoting him and fighting against the Frisco Fire Fighters who she took money and an endorsement from. We are assuming Laura has joined the exclusive you donate to me, and I donate to your council club so how could she ever be impartial if an ethics concern came up. We don’t expect much from Laura, to be honest she sold a bill of goods to those who voted for her and put her there. Chances are she will be easy to beat next time she is up for re-election. Our new nickname for her Rollin Out Rummell, it is just a matter of time.
The icing on the cake with a cherry on top is James Webb who on 2/7/24 donated $5000 to Keating. It lists him as the Chairman of Paradigm Development Holdings. Something about this name kept ringing a bell like a little butler boy when you want butter. We found a previous donation from Webb for $2500 in 2017 to Keating. We of course googled and came across an article from the Dallas Morning News in 2016 with the headline, “Major Ken Paxton donor paying $3.5 million settlement after MEDICAID FRAUD PROBE.
Preferred Imaging LLC, a medical diagnostic company headed by James H. Webb of Frisco, allegedly performed services that required the oversight of a supervising doctor without one on-site. According to DMN, “Preferred Imaging LLC did not admit to any wrongdoing or liability in the case. The settlement came after an investigation led by federal and state authorities, including the Civil Medicaid Fraud Division within Paxton’s agency, according to John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.” That means when Keating took the money in 2017 and he should have known about Webb’s “issues” and still accepted the money then and is still accepting it NOW!
There is more to cover in Keatings report, and we will look at that in the next blog drop.
“Well, clearly Keating’s campaign finance report shows that he or some of his friends, meaning Mayor Cheney, called in their chips for donations. Keating probably thinks he could be the next Mayor of Frisco, but he might want to work more on his resident outreach than dating a dental hygienist who can help with him some gold-plated teeth. With as much money as Keating has raised and some of it from questionable donors again, we think he should just fund a yacht party for unicorns and leprechauns and ride a magical wave hoping his constituents appreciate his ability to play both sides of the fence. Mr. Go Along to Get Along!
Keep checking back because we have a lot to drop!
Special Thanks To Our Frisco Whistle Blower Researchers – you know who you are!
We’re Back! Did you miss us? Well, we missed you and we don’t want to waste any time so lets jump right into “The Election Fix!” Campaign finance reports, especially those at the municipal level, are renowned for their thrilling and riveting narratives. They’re like the Shakespearean sonnets of bureaucratic paperwork, with each line singing the ballad I’ve Got Friends In High Places. You’ll find scintillating accounts of dollar signs dancing gracefully with line items, accompanied by the occasional cameo appearance of an expenditure report. It truly is just the right amount of drama to keep you on the edge of your seat. So, if you’re in need of a good bedtime story or just looking to induce a mild coma, City of Frisco municipal campaign finance reports are the perfect literary masterpiece to enjoy.
Let’s embark on this exhilarating journey of decoding the newly dropped campaign finance reports, shall we? Let’s start with John Keating who appears to have received several generous donations. According to his website he stands for “Accountability & Transparency.” His website says, “John Keating has served from a place of transparency and accountability throughout his time on city council and will continue to uphold these values.”
On Keating’s campaign finance report for the period of 7/1/2023 to 12/31/2023 he reported he had a total of $7735.59 in political expenditures and $0.00 in total political contributions. As of the last day of reporting he maintained the total political contributions $9207.27.
Fast forward and compare that to today’s campaign finance report ending 04/04/2024 which shows he has $31,345.83 in total political expenditures. Then he has $35,125.00 in total political contributions. It also appears Mr. Keating (who just purchased a house in The Preserve at The Fields PGA development) took out a Loan for $50,000.00. As of the last day of reporting he maintained total political contributions of $66,691.66. Wow! That is a big change from his 2023 report.
As we said, “The Fix Is In” so come back tomorrow for more details.
It is election time in Frisco! Different groups and organizations over the next two months will hold candidate forums which are an excellent way to help voters learn more about the candidates on the ballot. It gives Frisco residents a chance to learn more about key issues and allows us to ask hard questions of those who want our vote. The truth is that democracy works best when we “ENGAGE” with it because it fosters important dialogue about the everyday issues that affect our lives.
The first local forum of the season was the Islamic Center of Frisco (ICF) Candidate Forum. The forum was for both City Council races and ISD races. Our kids are grown, and we don’t pay as much attention as we should to the ISD races so this was the first time we got to hear about ISD issues. We couldn’t watch the debate live because of streaming delay issues so my wife and I caught it the next day when it was uploaded to YouTube. There were some moments worth talking about so if you have not watched it, get some popcorn and buckle up!
Each candidate got an opening statement. John Keating, The Statesmen, started by asking who was in charge of the time because he could go on for 10 minutes right now. Sir John, while we know you like to hear yourself, others don’t. Then he said the most dangerous intersection in Frisco is standing between John Keating and a microphone. While I am sure he practiced his opening icebreaker joke at home in front of the mirror while flexing it was not met with laughter by the audience.
John Keating said his job is to be “available to you” and he has done that time and again for the citizens. We would beg to differ, remember that little Universal Kids Park that came before the council from Jan 2023 to March 2023, we do! The night of the vote, Keating cried and said how emotionally impacted he was by P&Z Commissioner Cone’s words that evening. Wait, what, Commissioner Cone’s words? Where was his emotion for the residents who had stood before him pleading to save their neighborhood, and maintain their quality of life? Oh yeah, he went to the beach on vacation and never met with the residents of Cobb Hill. Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya, Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama, Key Largo, Montego Baby, why don’t we go anywhere other than Cobb Hill? AFTER THE VOTE he asked to meet with residents of Cobb Hill in the cul-de-sac to hear from them, but we are curious how it helps to listen to those you serve “AFTER THE VOTE?”
At one point, the city council candidates were asked about the discussion of unionizing our police and fire departments and where they stand on the issue. John’s response to this question is he served 13 years in the military; we are curious about what job he held the other 25+ years. Oh, that’s right he was a househusband. He said these are the men and women who wear our city’s uniform and go into harm’s way every day and unionizing that oh my God just seems awful. Then he turns to John Redmond who is running against Angelia Pelham and says if you are not sure John, if you are that uninformed then you must reach out to someone, call your Fire Chief. Then he said the reason we have all these problems is because the prior Fire Chief didn’t do his job properly and the unions saw that and said the door is open and we can run into Frisco. He said this push is from outside of Texas, this was not an internal ask, and it happened because of the perceived weakness in our fire department left behind by our former Fire Chief. Then he said the new Fire Chief Lee Glover is amazing.
Where do you begin to break his comments down? Again, I thank Keating for his service to our country and I appreciate all Veterans but that still does not exempt him from being called out. Maybe someone who has been a househusband most of his life served as a member of his kid’s PTA and on his HOA board and spent many of his days working out to build his big-boy muscles, might not be the best person to ask about unionization. While I am sure he liked the single PTA Moms, he has never had to be the breadwinner of his family. Our former Fire Chief whom Keating defamed and ridiculed has spent 40+ years in the Fire Department and has an impeccable record (we know because we filed PIRS), Porter who left to go to Little Elm FD has had a lifetime of service, and Cameron Kraemer who they wrongfully fired spent 27+ years in the fire service. That means they have worked and run into harm’s way and risked their lives a lot longer than John Keating has.
Next, Keating went after John Redmon (Angelia Pelham’s opponent) saying if he is concerned call your Fire Chief. We have done that in the past and we have been told we have to file a PIR for such information and then the city sends it to the AG to delay turning over the documents. Yes, they are very TRANSPARENT as a city! To think any citizen could call the Fire Chief and Police Chief for a meeting and they are going to talk to them about the inner workings and issues within their department is just downright ridiculous.
Lastly, he said the reason the Fire Association is doing this is because of “OUTSIDE FORCES” due to a bad former Fire Chief. Didn’t the Fire Association just endorse that former Fire Chief last week over you? We took Keating’s advice and just asked several firefighters why they were doing this and guess what it has nothing to do with their former Fire Chief. The reason given to us over and over for why they went this route for civil service and collective bargaining, is because the city management and city council hired a new Fire Chief even though that candidate (Lee Glover) had a 90% ‘NO VOTE OF CONFIDENCE” by those he would be managing.
Remember in 2011/12 when the climate survey showed the “CULTURE” of the Fire Department was horrible and the only way to fix it was to get rid of the management and start over with a clean slate. The city council at that time forced George Purefoy, our City Manager, to remove Borchardt. George Purefoy turned in his resignation letter threatening to leave if the city forced him to do that. The consolidation made was to retire Borchardt as Chief of the Fire Department, but then George Purefoy hired his best buddy as a “CONSULTANT” for the city and he is on the payroll making over $200K per year, driving a city vehicle and consulting for other cities making money on the side. I am a taxpayer, and I would love to make $200k after being forced out of a job because I was such a bad leader. As for Lee Glover the Assistant Fire Chief at the time he remained in his position under the new Chief Mark Piland. The city kept him even though the 2011/12 study said he was part of the problem.
Then they promoted Glover in 2022/23 right after the Association had just taken a survey showing Lee Glover had a 90% plus “No Vote of Confidence” from the fire department.
This was not an external force, Mr. Keating, the local fire association pulled the trigger because of the city’s constant slap in their face. It is because of Wes Pierson the City Manager, Lee Glover the new Fire Chief, and the City Council that this is happening. Keating considers himself a man of integrity, a veteran, and a champion for others, but the reality is he had no educated answer to the question, no facts to spew, so to deflect the fact that he doesn’t understand the issue, he attacked two other candidates. The last person who should be hanging someone out to dry or judging someone is John Keating who likes to go in the pool with women who are not his wife.
The next question for the candidates was “National and international politics have had an increasing influence on local elections, how do you address issues outside of your authority but are top of mind and concern for residents of this city.” Keating again stands up and talks about his 13 years in the military and how he has seen firsthand the devastation of warfare. He went on to say he could not be more proud of the young people who have come before the council and shared the emotion in such an articulate fashion of what they are experiencing through their loved ones overseas. The young people he is referring to, are those at the meeting to speak out on behalf of Palestinians and want a proclamation to condemn Israel.
He continues that the best peace treaty and proclamation is prayer. And that the Council could issue a proclamation, but it is not like it is a big deal. Then he says he doesn’t want to belittle the proclamation process; however, he just did. In a nutshell, if you got a proclamation from the city, Councilman John Keating thinks IT’S NO BIG DEAL. Pray on that!
The next question was, with all the development recently focused on tourists, what are we doing to prepare for the traffic and what projects coming up are focused on or for residents? Keating pointed out we had 7 million tourists visit Frisco last year and yes there is a little traffic congestion, but he thinks traffic runs pretty smoothly in Frisco.” He also said we used to be reactive to traffic, and today we are proactive to traffic, with over 200 million dollars going into roads. To point out the obvious, Keating has never worked an 8 to 5 job which means he has not had to spend countless years facing rush hour traffic in Frisco. He does not spend over 30 minutes at DNT/Main or DNT/Eldorado trying to get through the lights so in his mind traffic runs smoothly. I am not sure where Keating has been for the last 5 years, but traffic is horrible in every part of this city, and it gets worse every day. In summary, he listed nothing specifically being developed for residents which means the 7 million tourists are more important than the 230,000 residents who call Frisco home and pay taxes here.
Keating was asked, if you are anti-union, why do you ask for the Fire Association’s endorsement every election? Keating quickly responded he does not ask for the endorsement every election and he is not sure where that notion comes from. He said when talks of collective bargaining and civil service began, he stepped away or stepped back from that. He continued; that he still fills out the questionnaires sent out by the association to keep communication open, but he put on there “THAT HE IS NOT SEEKING THEIR ENDORSEMENT.”
We reached out to the Frisco Fire Association to ask for a copy of the questionnaire and a copy of all the candidate’s responses. The email we received back said the board would have to review that request but we did find a copy of one on Facebook that been posted in 2021. We also asked if Keating clearly stated that he was not seeking their endorsement as he stated at the forum. The association’s email stated Mr. Keating “DID NOT PUT ON HIS QUESTIONNAIRE ANYWHERE THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO BE CONSIDERED FOR AN ENDORSEMENT.” We also asked the association if it is clear to candidates that filling out the form is part of the endorsement process. The association responded, “The email to all candidates regarding the questionnaire is very generic. It says hello our time to gather questionnaires for a potential endorsement and to fill out the questionnaire if you want to be considered.”
Another audience question was related to how many years he has served on the council. The terms are typically three years in duration. Keating served on the Frisco City Council Place 4 from 2010 to 2016 for 2 terms or 6 years. After a short break, he ran and was re-elected in 2017 for an open seat that had one year left on the term. Then in 2018, he ran for Place 1 where he has served since 2017 to the present. Keating is now running for his final 3rd term (3 years). That means by the time Keating is done serving he will have been on the council for 16+ years if he is reelected. He noted he will be the longest-serving council member. No wonder Keating does not want to come right out and say how long he has been on council.
It was finally closing time for the forum and Mark Piland called Keating out and said if they were giving out Pinocchio’s Keating would have a basket right in front of him. Keatings face turned red and was hot to trot to respond to his opponent. He stood up buttoned his jacket, huffed and puffed, and said “You were fired as the former Fire Chief. Two independent investigations, not by the city council, not done by the fire department. This man cannot be trusted, he does nothing but lie, and blame others as you’ve seen him demonstrate tonight. It is absurd and I am going to move past that and say my record speaks for itself.” He talked again about his military time, his 7 years on the PTA and time on the HOA board, and 16 years on council and that politicians don’t last, leaders do. Men and women of their word last, people who lie, cheat, steal, and blame others don’t last.”
We sent a PIR to the Fire Association and asked if they believed Mark Piland, the former Fire Chief, was fired. We also asked if they felt the investigations mentioned by Keating were “Independent’ and fair. Per the email we received, from a representative for the association, “No, I do not believe Piland was fired. I believe clearly he RETIRED.” As for the investigations, the representative for the association said, “I believe the investigation into the Mayday report was independent. I do however they took liberties and investigated many things that were not involved in the complaint. As for the second investigation, I would not call it an investigation, when you only talk to one party and not the person that’s the source of the investigation. In this case Piland!”
As for the “Two Independent Investigations” Keating mentioned, it was the head of HR Lauren Safranek who oversaw those. The same head of HR changed the FD job descriptions and failed to have the department head; Chief Mark Piland sign off on the changes. Instead hoping no one would notice she used his previous 2017 signature on the document. She didn’t expect a firefighter to ask questions which brought to light her and her department’s forgery. To hide her fraud, she used the investigation to find something about the current Fire Chief at the time to use it to fire him or make him retire. However, after she spent over $100k of taxpayer money to fund a false investigation she didn’t like the results too much. If you want to learn more about the whole cover up just read our blog Day 12: Tangled Web of Lies.
Mr. Keating let’s talk about your record. Yes, you served in our military, and we are all grateful for your service to our country. In the same way, we are grateful that Mr. Piland has spent 40+ years serving as a first responder. Your website says Promises Made, Promises Kept, but have you? In an email we received from a pet advocate, you stated if an animal shelter made it to the bond by the citizen’s bond committee, then you would support the residents having an opportunity to vote for it. However, that night you agreed in lockstep with your 4 other council members to remove the animal shelter from the bond. Promise Broken!
Then in 2021, you filled out the questionnaire for the firefighter’s endorsement, which we wrote about in our blog Jammed-Up John Keating, and you said you supported more staff (4 men trucks). You wrote Frisco is growing and we need to plan accordingly. You wrote we must budget for a new 14-day pay cycle, benefits, Fire Station 10, and personnel and equipment. Since being elected in 2021, you have not supported any of the items you wrote about and promised on the questionnaire. You signed your name to this document and turned your back on the first responders you said you supported. You are part of the reason the fire association today is going for collective bargaining and civil service. Promise Broken!
You have a total disregard for rules such as using the City of Frisco logo while campaigning. Do you believe the LEADERS OF ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING CITIES IN AMERICA (in your own words) should post a picture of himself implying he is naked and holding a sign that reads “Get Naked!” Your judgment on that one sir, was way off for this conservative.
Before you stand at your pulpit and shout, “People who lie, cheat, steal, and blame others don’t last,” you might want to look in the mirror. You lied and cheated on your wife in the most public way possible, at the forum you blamed Redman for being ill-informed. You lied and said Piland was fired when even the city website says he retired. You lied about writing on the 2024 Fire Association questionnaire that you were not seeking their endorsement. You had total disregard for a whole neighborhood concerned about their homes due to a new theme park and felt your time was better spent on a beach somewhere. You continually blamed Piland at the forum when you didn’t have an answer for something to deflect your shortcomings.
Mr. Keating, you were right about one thing, it is time for a leader, and YOU ARE NOT IT!
In an open letter to Frisco citizens on August 3, 2023, the Frisco City Council announced they “firmly oppose” the measures by the Frisco Firefighters Association to seek civil service and collective bargaining. The letter stated the department holds International Accreditation and Class 1 Public Protection Classification (ISO 1) from widely respected third parties, which distinguished the Frisco Fire Department as one of the top departments in the country.
Recently we read an article in the Dallas Morning News regarding Frisco voters and how they will soon decide on civil service and collective bargaining for fire fighters. It questioned if it was ethical for Council Member Bill Woodard, who opposes the measure to lead the PAC. The article points out that by law, Woodard is prohibited from speaking out against the measure that is on the May ballot.
In a recent announcement we obtained from a source, it showed that Woodard was set to speak on March 21st at the Frisco Rotary meeting to give an “explanation of the propositions.” How is he going to speak if it is prohibited by law from him speaking out against the measure? In the DMN article, Woodard said “that he can have both positions from two distinct capacities.” He went on to say, “I am doing this as a citizen, as a member of this PAC, and anything that I say is in no way representative of my position on council.”
Honk, Honk! Did you hear the horn blow? If Bill Woodard wanted to speak on these measures as a resident, then why did he use campaign contributions to help set up the PAC? Campaign contributions generally come from the public to help you fund your election for COUNCIL. Woodard donated $200 to help the PAC from his Campaign Contributions. It is noted as In-Kind Contribution at the UPS store for a PO Box for Safety First Frisco.
Is that all he donated? On the same campaign contribution report, he also shows an expense on 9/5/23 for $216.92 paid to Bluehost for webhosting. Then on 10/10/23 there is an expense to Google for URL registration fees in the amount of $196.91. Woodard terms out next year in 2025, so what type of website would he need to be buying and hosting now? Drum roll please…our guess is the PACs website. We did a search to see who is hosting the website and well, you guessed it, Bluehost and it was created on 10/18/23. That is just days after registering the URL’s.
Remember in the DMN article he said he could speak out as a citizen, so why not fund the PAC with his own personal money? Why not pay for it from his personal bank account? Why did he fund it from his political campaign contributions? How can he say now after funding it from his campaign contributions that he is just a REGULAR JOE citizen speaking out against the measures?
Next, we wondered how does the audience distinguish between Councilman Bill Woodard and resident Bill Woodard? Bill Woodard was elected to the Frisco City Council in June 2016 and his current term expires in May 2025. Bill Woodards name has been in front of residents as Councilman Bill Woodard for 8 years now. If an announcement says Bill Woodard is coming to speak and explain the propositions, as an audience member or a resident you are automatically going to make “the connection” to the Frisco City Council. The only way we could take Bobblehead Bill’s opinions from the perspective of a resident is if he was NOT AN ACTIVE council member or had never served on the council and then we would have never known who was anyways.
This is no different than the concern residents have had for years now with Mayor Jeff Cheney, wait should we call him Jeff Cheney Real Estate Broker, or resident Jeff Cheney. Do you see the confusion? Do you think Real Estate Broker Jeff Cheney would be asked to speak at Chamber events? We have never seen the Chamber invite any other Real Estate Broker to headline an event or win Executive of the Year. Do you think resident Jeff Cheney would be asked to the Dallas Cowboys Christmas Kick Off to speak at the podium? Probably not! When you hear the name Jeff Cheney, you immediately associate him with his position as Mayor of the Frisco City Council. So, resident Jeff Cheney could not speak at the Rotary either and be an independent resident in opposition to the measures. The audience does not make that separation.
We did notice one interesting thing today as we poked around. The Frisco Rotary website now shows two names speaking on the proposed measures. First up, “resident” Bill Woodard, followed by Matt Sapp, President of the Frisco Fire Fighters Association. At least the Rotary Club came to their senses and invited both parties to explain their positions. We wonder if the invitation to the association was extended after the original announcement, which is why they were not listed.
When is ENOUGH, ENOUGH? The city continues to play between the lines. They had published online and several other places where they were opposed to the ballot measures and had to take them down because it was illegal. Backed into a corner it now appears they are using Bobblehead Bill to speak against the measures. It is the “BACKDOOR” plan that teeters on legal vs illegal, or ethical vs unethical. It all comes down to the city, and the city council who think they are above the law, and they don’t have to be accountable to the residents. It is the “FRISCO WAY” they always talk about. When will someone, a reporter, residents, or maybe the district attorney, call them out on the Shady ShXt behavior they continue to display? This is an obvious “F U” to the residents and the fire fighters of Frisco.
We have spent quite a bit of time combing through the City of Frisco elected officials’ campaign finance reports and as we come across items of interest that seem questionable, we bring them to the public’s attention. In our recent dive, we came across the name Veton Krasniqi, and it appears he made two substantial donations to two sitting council members. We did a simple Google search of the name in Frisco, and we found a LinkedIn page with no details except self-employed.
The first time we come across his name is in John Keating’s campaign finance report for the period of January 16, 2021, through April 1, 2021. It shows Veton Krasniqi donated $10,000 to John Keating’s campaign on March 10, 2021. The report shows the address listed as 6400 FM423, #15109, Frisco TX 75026. Immediately we noticed a red flag, because the zip code for the address, 75026, is not a Frisco zip code. It is a Plano zip code located near the George Bush Tollway and Coit, almost near Richardson.
We searched just the address without the zip code which came back to a company called German All Construction, LLC according to Open Corporates. It shows the “Agent Name” as Veton Krasniqi and the agent address as 6400 FM 423 #15109, Frisco TX, 75036. We expected to find an office building but instead, we found the Courtland Apartments at Phillips Creek Ranch.
The registered address for German All Construction, LLC on opencorporates.com comes back to 2552 Stonebrook Pkwy, Ste 402, Frisco TX 75034. We decided to google that address to see what we could find, and it came back to Lit Smoke & Vape. We don’t believe it was there in early 2021 but it did open later that year to some controversy which is detailed in a Frisco Enterprise and Dallas Morning News article. The article talked about how many parents and residents living in the area felt a Vape Shop at Stonebrook and Teel near an elementary, middle, and high school was inappropriate.
We decided to go to the Texas Comptroller to view the franchise tax certificate for German All Construction, LLC. It was registered on November 11, 2019, and appears to be active today. It shows the mailing address at 2552 Stonebrook Pkwy, Ste 402, which is the Vape Shop, and the registered address appears to be the same apartments at 6400 FM 423. When we clicked on the Public Information Report for 2023 it came back with two addresses. The first address we have already seen in previous reports is 2552 Stonebrook Parkway. The second address was new and belonged to a 1.544-million-dollar home in Phillips Creek Ranch on Tailwater Trail. We decided to look the home up on Denton CAD which shows a Veton and Lena Krasniqi purchased it in August 2021. It appears to have been transferred to a Family Trust in June of 2023, then the trust sold the home in October 2023. Are you confused yet? We are!
We continued to look through more campaign finance reports for other council members when we saw the name Veton Krasniqi again. This time it was not Keating’s finance report, it was Angelia Pelham’s finance report. It appears Veton Krasniqi also donated $5000 to the Pelham campaign on May 15, 2021, just a few short months after he donated $10k to Keatings.
The original campaign finance report filed by Pelham has Veton’s name and email address, where there is supposed to be an actual physical address. We found an ethics complaint on file with the Texas Ethics Commission because report after report was inaccurate with emails instead of physical addresses which are required by the state election code. Pelham was ordered to fix the incorrect finance reports, and when she did, she showed Veton Krasniqi’s address as 2552 Stonebrook Pkwy, Ste 302, Frisco TX 75034.
Immediately we had a red flag with Pelham’s corrected report because she listed the suite number as 302, which is different from Keating’s report which is 402. We Googled the address using suite 302 and it appears that is the Mexican restaurant Dos Amigos. We decided to look at Denton CAD and Viton Krasniqi is listed at 2552 Stonebrook Pkwy in suite 300B and the legal description says it is a restaurant.
Can you guess what we did next? Well, of course, we googled 2552 Stonebrook Pkwy, Ste 300B and we pulled up a Community Impact article from Feb 2019 which reports the Berlin Café is now open in Frisco serving German-inspired cuisine. The article states the café opened in late December and is located at 2552 Stonebrook Parkway, Ste 300B in Frisco. We looked up the Tax ID for Berlin Café on the Texas Comptroller’s website which shows it was owned by Veton Krasniqi. Then we came across another article in Community Impact in March 2021 titled Berlin Café Rebrands as Dos Amigos in Frisco. We decided to look up Dos Amigos Frisco on the Texas Comptroller’s website which showed it was registered in November 2020, but the franchise tax involuntarily ended. According to OpenCorporates.com, it shows that on July 28, 2023, the restaurant filed for a tax forfeiture. The mailing address is 2552 Stonebrook Pkwy, Ste 302 but the registered office address is 6400 FM 423, which is the Courtland Apartments.
After all this research that left us completely confused, we were still wondering, who is Veton Krasniqi that donated $10,000 to Keating and $5000 to Pelham? We filed a PIR for any communications between Veton Krasniqi, Keating, and Pelham. We were shocked when we received notice that no sufficient records came up. Two council members, two large donations, and neither of them communicated even once with the donor, not even a thank you note. Um, we smell some shady shXt!
We decided to do a court record search for Veton Krasniqi and started in Denton, County. We found eviction case after eviction case for Veton and Lena Krasniqi starting in Dec 2018 up to June of 2023. Then we looked up court records in Collin, County and we found multiple debt cases from 2020 to 2023. One involves his company German All Construction and Italia Day & Night LLC, otherwise known as Italian Village, which is registered at 5840 Legacy Circle, Ste D100, Plano TX. Italian Village located in The Shops of Legacy was featured in D Magazine back in September 2021 if you are interested in learning more.
Veton Krasniqi had lots of problems that’s for sure, and just when we thought we had hit all the shXt we were shocked to find two very important lawsuits. The first was filed by Frisco Independent School District for a total sum of $24,093.74 in back taxes against Veton and Lena Krasniqi. It appears they didn’t pay taxes when living in the fancy million-dollar Phillips Creek Home. Remember, this is the same time they donated to both candidates’ campaigns.
With all the money issues the Krasniqi’s had, where did they find funds to be big spenders and donate to local political campaigns? Maybe, it was the money they ripped off from the United States of America (aka you and me and our tax dollars). Maybe the answer is in the case of the USA v. Veton Krasniqi filed In The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division indictment on Jan 12, 2023. Krasniqi is accused of unlawfully and unjustly enriching himself by obtaining The Paycheck Protection Program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan, and Restaurant Revitalization Fund loan proceeds through materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. NOW THAT IS A WHOPPER!
The indictment goes on to say the defendant (Krasniqi) used numerous restaurants and construction businesses including Berlin Café, Dos Amigos Frisco, German All Construction, Noahlena, and Foxtron to obtain multiple loans. It goes on to say he used his personal and business bank accounts to receive, deposit, and transfer the funds. It also accuses Veton of submitting materially false loan applications, lying about his qualifications, and intended use of the loan funds. It also accuses him of helping his family members and business associates in submitting false loan applications.
The indictment states that on April 28, 2020, he received his first PPP draw of $82,500 and on the same day he transferred $82,400 to his personal account. He then took out a cash withdrawal of $55,800, made approximately $15,000 in car payments, and transferred $9300 overseas.
The business closed at the end of 2020 and then he submitted a second withdrawal PPP application on Berlin Café. The indictment states on Feb 5, 2021, he received a SECOND draw PPP loan for $283,600 for Berlin Café, LLC which he claimed on the application would be used to retain workers, rent, utilities, etc., but the problem is Berlin Café had already permanently closed. The same day he transferred the entire sum to his personal bank account. We could go on and on but you get the drift the dirtbag was a fraud.
So how much did Veton Krasniqi defraud the US Government and taxpayers? Buckle your seat belt, because he obtained over $2.25 million in funds earmarked for emergency pandemic relief that real businesses in our community could have used. Let me summarize, he could not pay his school district taxes which hurts our kids, and he defrauded taxpayers (you and me), but he had money to donate $5000 to Angela Pelham and $10,000 to John Keating. As of today, neither of them has returned the money or offered to return the money.
This is not the first time John Keating has taken money from questionable donors. In October 2018, Keating took $5000 from Phillip Michael Carter who was convicted of bilking the elderly out 17.5 million dollars. It was not till March of 2019 when Keating and Cheney were confronted by the DMN asking if they would return the thousands, they received from a criminal that they both said they would be returning the money.
Why does this continue to happen, better yet how does this continue to happen to our council members? Cheney, Pelham, and Keating are all recipients of dirty funds. It is funny I saw an ad the other day on social media, and it was Pelham’s video where she says over and over “YOU KNOW ME” – yeah, we do! Then Keating boasts on his website Promises Made, Promises Kept which should read Promises Made, Promises Broken.
John Keating and Angelia Pelham, will you return the money to the federal government and taxpayers or return the money and give it to the school district towards his tax debt? Let’s see if they do the right thing!
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