Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders made waves last year, running toe-to-toe with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Following President Donald Trump’s victory, the two Democratic families are no longer in a race for the White House — but instead, it could be a sprint to see who ends up in jail first!
According to reports, Jane Sanders — Bernie’s wife — is under FBI investigation for bank fraud allegedly committed while she was president of Burlington College between 2004 to 2011.
The investigation is centered around allegedly falsified loan documents and a land deal that ultimately bankrupted the college.
During her tenure, Jane — who is an outspoken socialist like her husband — launched an ambitious growth plan to increase admissions to the college, and had the school take on approximately $10 million in debt to aggressively expand. The effort was a total failure, and Sanders was asked to step down after seven years.
The college closed it’s doors in 2016, almost entirely because of the failed expansion.
“Sanders stated in a 2010 loan application she had secured $2.6 million in promised donations to pay for the land purchase, which helped secure a $6.5 million loan from the People’s United Bank,” The Daily Caller reported. “Only $676,000 ever materialized over the next four years and the college defaulted on the loans, eventually going bankrupt in May 2016.”
Even in Vermont, it seems socialists are only good at spending other people’s money.
Reports say the FBI is investigating the bank filings to find out if Sanders’ knowingly committed fraud — a serious charge that could potentially mean jail time.
“Sanders wrote on a 2010 loan application that 83-year-old Corinne Bove Maietta, the daughter of the founders of Bove Restaurants in Burlington, pledged $1 million to Burlington College over five years,” according to The Daily Caller.
“Maietta, who has a property in West Palm Beach, says it was not a pledge but an unspecified bequest to be paid to the school upon her death. Maietta’s accountant confirmed to The Daily Caller News Foundation the FBI contacted him seeking an interview with Maietta.”
The FBI has declined to comment on their investigation.
Locals and former Burlington College employees, however, report that multiple subpoenas have been issued, and the FBI has been interviewing individuals with knowledge of the deal.
According to local paper VT Digger, “two Burlington College board members speculated that the investigation pertained to the purchase of 33 acres of prime lakefront property for a new campus during Sanders’ tenure.”
One must wonder… could Jane be sharing a prison cell with Hillary this time next year?
We can only hope.
— The Horn editorial team