Press Releases
Leonard Leo’s Nonprofits Funneled Over $100M Into Personal For-Profit Firm
A new Accountable.US report today revealed that at least seven groups at the core of Leonard Leo’s nonprofit network have funneled over $104 million into Leo’s for-profit consulting firm CRC Advisors over the past decade. The staggering new total, first reported in Bloomberg, reveals just how much Leo’s self-dealing scheme has ballooned in recent years, aligning with Leo’s increased involvement in Supreme Court influence-peddling, coordinated efforts to ban abortion at all levels, and more.
The revelations come as Washington DC attorney general Brian Schwalb continues to investigate Leo’s network. Leo also faces a Senate Judiciary subpoena for his role in the ethics crisis at the Supreme Court.
As far as Leonard Leo is concerned, his circular profit scheme is a win-win: he’s cashing in big — to the tune of a staggering $100 million — while forcing his extreme agenda on everyday Americans. This shocking new figure reveals just how much Leo and his firm have personally benefited from his network, all while continuing to pull the strings at the Supreme Court, bankroll coordinated efforts to strip Americans of their critical rights, and undermine democracy at all levels. Every step of the way, Leonard Leo has cashed in on his own activism.”
Accountable.US president Caroline Ciccone
Accountable.US’s research revealed that in the years since Leo received $1.6 billion — the largest single political donation ever — for his Marble Freedom Trust slush fund, groups in his network have paid CRC Advisors over $48 million, nearly half of the total $100 million. While Leo’s intentionally opaque nonprofit network makes it nearly impossible to determine where the windfall has flowed, this new figure offers a rare glimpse, revealing that a significant portion of the unusual donation may have ended up in the coffers of Leo’s own CRC Advisors.
The research also reveals a significant increase in money flow from nonprofits to the for-profit CRC Advisors in recent years. Since 2020, groups with close Leo ties have funneled nearly $70 million to the for-profit firm, more than doubling their total spending on contracts with the firm over the prior five years — and accounting for almost 70% of the total documented money flow.
The increase in spending by groups connected to Leo raises new questions about whether he has violated federal tax rules barring people from using tax-exempt money for their own self-enrichment. Previous reporting highlighted how Leo’s “personal wealth skyrocketed in tandem with major victories on the road to a conservative court.”
Access the full report here.
Learn more about Leonard Leo, his corrupt self-dealing, and his dangerous agenda at LeonardLeo.org.
