Samuel F. Wright
Encyclopedia
Samuel F. Wright is a Washington DC-based attorney active in veterans issues. Wright lives in Arlington, Virginia.
(JAGC) Student Program. After graduating from the University of Houston Law Center
and passing the Texas bar exam, he reported to active duty in January 1977, and attended the Naval Justice School. In March 1980, he left active duty and joined the Naval Reserve JAGC Program. He reentered active duty multiple times, and accumulated more than a decade of full-time active duty service. He retired from the Navy Reserve on April 1, 2007, with the rank of Captain.
(DOL) as an attorney, where he litigated to enforce the Veterans’ Reemployment Rights Law (VRR). That 1940 law gives individuals the right to reemployment after voluntary or involuntary military service or training. Wright served on an interagency task force which recommended that Congress revise the VRR. In 1994, Congress passed the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) to make those changes. In April 2008, Wright joined the law firm Tully Rinckey P.L.L.C. as a partner, with the U.S. Navy Veterans Association as a client. He announced his resignation from Tully Rinckey in January, 2009 and was no longer employed by Tully Rinckey by April 2009. He apparently started to work for the Reserve Officers Association as there attorney around that time, but continued to represent the U.S. Naval Veterans Association.
Wright serves as Director of the National Defense Committee's Military/Veteran Re-employment Rights Project. He is also an advisor to the Overseas Vote Foundation
.
to get the bar reversed, but on August 18, 2009, the USNVA received a letter stating that the Attorney General concurred with the bar.
Following that letter, Thompson began to donate to Virginia politicians. In 2009, Thompson made $78,375 in political contributions
. $67,500 was directed to Virginia
politicians, with the largest share being $55,500 in contributions to the successful campaign of Virginia Attorney General
Ken Cuccinelli
(R
). Thompson was Cuccinelli's second-largest campaign donor.
Out of the $67,500 Virginia contributions, Thompson made only one $1,000 donation to a Democratic candidate. On May 7, 2009, Wright donated $100 to the campaign of David Foster for Attorney General, and on October 6, he donated $100 to Cuccinelli.
When questions were initially raised about USNVA, all other Virginia politicians gave the contributions from Thompson to other veterans' organizations, but Cuccinelli initially did not, despite calls from Virginia Democrats
. Cuccinelli's spokesman said "if Mr. Thompson was convicted
of wrongdoing relative to the misappropriation of funds, and contributions to our campaign came from money that was supposed to go to active duty military or veterans, we would donate those contributions to military support organizations here in Virginia." A month later in June, a Cuccinelli spokesman said $55,500 would be set aside in a restricted account pending the outcome of the investigation into Thompson and USNVA.
On May 14, 2009, Thompson donated $2,000 to Del. Chris Jones (R), who chaired the House General Laws Committee. Wright later wrote Jones asking why USNVA could not solicit in Virginia. Jones investigated and responded in December 2009 that USNVA had not registered and that the Attorney General's Office had concurred in the regulator's determination.
In 2009, Thompson also made an unsolicited $1,000 contribution to Virginia Senator
Patsy Ticer
(D), the chair of the State Senate committee with jurisdiction over the department which handles the registration of charities. Wright later contacted Ticer's office, asking for assistance to make it easier for the Association to operate in Virginia. Ticer introduced Virginia Senate Bill 563 that, among other purposes, exempted tax-exempt veterans' organizations such as the USNVA from having to register with Virginia regulators. The bill was unanimously approved by the Virginia House
and Senate
. After receiving the Thompson contributions, Cuccinelli and Wright met on February 15, 2010 to discuss the legislation which had passed the State Senate. After learning about the March St. Petersburg Times reports, Ticer asked Governor
Bob McDonnell
(R), who received a $5,000 contribution from Thompson, to veto
the bill she sponsored. On April 11, 2010, Wright found out about Ticer's request and asked her to withdraw her veto request. However, the Governor signed the bill on April 12, 2010. The new law took effect on July 1, 2010. Both Senator Ticer and Governor McDonnell have given the contributions from Thompson to other veterans groups.
In a May 31, 2010 letter, Wright assured Ticer that the USNVA was a legitimate organization. However, in June 2010, Wright resigned as counsel for USNVA.
Officials in at least five states - New Mexico
, Ohio
, Hawaii
, Missouri
, and Florida
- are investigating the Association. The USNVA is currently banned from soliciting in at least the states of New Mexico and Hawaii. In August 2010, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray announced that a nation-wide arrest warrant had issued for Bobby Thompson, who had stolen the identity and Social Security Number of a victim who was not connected to the USNVA. Corday stated, “We know he bilked Ohioans out of at least $1.9 million, and we estimate that nationally he collected at least $20 million.”
Military career
While a law student, Wright was commissioned on November 1973, as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve, via the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s CorpsJudge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy
The Judge Advocate General's Corps also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG" is the legal arm of the United States Navy. Today, the corps consists of a worldwide organization of more than 730 Judge Advocates, 30 limited duty officers , 500 enlisted members and nearly 275 civilian personnel, serving...
(JAGC) Student Program. After graduating from the University of Houston Law Center
University of Houston Law Center
The University of Houston Law Center is a law school located in Houston, Texas. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1947, the Law Center is one of 12 academic colleges of the University of Houston...
and passing the Texas bar exam, he reported to active duty in January 1977, and attended the Naval Justice School. In March 1980, he left active duty and joined the Naval Reserve JAGC Program. He reentered active duty multiple times, and accumulated more than a decade of full-time active duty service. He retired from the Navy Reserve on April 1, 2007, with the rank of Captain.
Legal career
In 1982, while continuing in the Naval Reserve, Wright joined the United States Department of LaborUnited States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
(DOL) as an attorney, where he litigated to enforce the Veterans’ Reemployment Rights Law (VRR). That 1940 law gives individuals the right to reemployment after voluntary or involuntary military service or training. Wright served on an interagency task force which recommended that Congress revise the VRR. In 1994, Congress passed the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) to make those changes. In April 2008, Wright joined the law firm Tully Rinckey P.L.L.C. as a partner, with the U.S. Navy Veterans Association as a client. He announced his resignation from Tully Rinckey in January, 2009 and was no longer employed by Tully Rinckey by April 2009. He apparently started to work for the Reserve Officers Association as there attorney around that time, but continued to represent the U.S. Naval Veterans Association.
Wright serves as Director of the National Defense Committee's Military/Veteran Re-employment Rights Project. He is also an advisor to the Overseas Vote Foundation
Overseas Vote Foundation
Overseas Vote Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit United States-based 501 public charity that helps American citizens overseas and in the military participate in federal elections. These voters' rights fall under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act...
.
Lobbying for Navy Veterans Association
Wright played a prominent role in an effort to exempt the U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA) from regulation in Virginia. On Feb. 23, 2009, the Virginia Division of Consumer Protection barred from soliciting for donations because it had failed to register as a charity and to make the necessary financial disclosures. Wright was retained to get the USNVA the right to solicit in Virginia and worked with a man who claimed to be Bobby Thompson, the Chief Financial Officer of USNVA. In March 2010, the St. Petersburg Times published a series indicating that the USNVA was a one-man operation fradulently soliciting money as a veterans' charity. When asked by the St. Petersburg Times whether Wright had ever spoken with anyone at the USNVA other than Thompson, Wright refused to answer citing attorney-client privilege. In May 2009, Wright met with then-Attorney General Bill MimsBill Mims
William Cleveland "Bill" Mims is a former Attorney General of Virginia and a Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. A Republican, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1992–98 and the Senate of Virginia 1998–2006...
to get the bar reversed, but on August 18, 2009, the USNVA received a letter stating that the Attorney General concurred with the bar.
Following that letter, Thompson began to donate to Virginia politicians. In 2009, Thompson made $78,375 in political contributions
Campaign finance
Campaign finance refers to all funds that are raised and spent in order to promote candidates, parties or policies in some sort of electoral contest. In modern democracies such funds are not necessarily devoted to election campaigns. Issue campaigns in referendums, party activities and party...
. $67,500 was directed to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
politicians, with the largest share being $55,500 in contributions to the successful campaign of Virginia Attorney General
Attorney General of Virginia
The Attorney General of Virginia is an executive office in the Government of Virginia. Attorneys General are elected for a four-year term in the year following a presidential election . There are no term limits restricting the number of terms someone can serve as Attorney General...
Ken Cuccinelli
Ken Cuccinelli
Kenneth Thomas 'Ken' Cuccinelli II is a U.S. politician and the Attorney General of Virginia. From 2002 until January 16, 2010 he was a Republican member of the Senate of Virginia, representing the 37th district in Fairfax County...
(R
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
). Thompson was Cuccinelli's second-largest campaign donor.
Out of the $67,500 Virginia contributions, Thompson made only one $1,000 donation to a Democratic candidate. On May 7, 2009, Wright donated $100 to the campaign of David Foster for Attorney General, and on October 6, he donated $100 to Cuccinelli.
When questions were initially raised about USNVA, all other Virginia politicians gave the contributions from Thompson to other veterans' organizations, but Cuccinelli initially did not, despite calls from Virginia Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. Cuccinelli's spokesman said "if Mr. Thompson was convicted
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime.The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal . In Scotland and in the Netherlands, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which counts as an acquittal...
of wrongdoing relative to the misappropriation of funds, and contributions to our campaign came from money that was supposed to go to active duty military or veterans, we would donate those contributions to military support organizations here in Virginia." A month later in June, a Cuccinelli spokesman said $55,500 would be set aside in a restricted account pending the outcome of the investigation into Thompson and USNVA.
On May 14, 2009, Thompson donated $2,000 to Del. Chris Jones (R), who chaired the House General Laws Committee. Wright later wrote Jones asking why USNVA could not solicit in Virginia. Jones investigated and responded in December 2009 that USNVA had not registered and that the Attorney General's Office had concurred in the regulator's determination.
In 2009, Thompson also made an unsolicited $1,000 contribution to Virginia Senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
Patsy Ticer
Patsy Ticer
Patricia Smith "Patsy" Ticer is an American politician. A Democrat, she was mayor of Alexandria, Virginia from 1991 to 1996, when she began service in the Senate of Virginia. She the 30th District, made up of parts of Arlington and Fairfax Counties and the city of Alexandria. She will not be a...
(D), the chair of the State Senate committee with jurisdiction over the department which handles the registration of charities. Wright later contacted Ticer's office, asking for assistance to make it easier for the Association to operate in Virginia. Ticer introduced Virginia Senate Bill 563 that, among other purposes, exempted tax-exempt veterans' organizations such as the USNVA from having to register with Virginia regulators. The bill was unanimously approved by the Virginia House
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
and Senate
Senate of Virginia
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia...
. After receiving the Thompson contributions, Cuccinelli and Wright met on February 15, 2010 to discuss the legislation which had passed the State Senate. After learning about the March St. Petersburg Times reports, Ticer asked Governor
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
Bob McDonnell
Bob McDonnell
Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...
(R), who received a $5,000 contribution from Thompson, to veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
the bill she sponsored. On April 11, 2010, Wright found out about Ticer's request and asked her to withdraw her veto request. However, the Governor signed the bill on April 12, 2010. The new law took effect on July 1, 2010. Both Senator Ticer and Governor McDonnell have given the contributions from Thompson to other veterans groups.
In a May 31, 2010 letter, Wright assured Ticer that the USNVA was a legitimate organization. However, in June 2010, Wright resigned as counsel for USNVA.
Officials in at least five states - New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
- are investigating the Association. The USNVA is currently banned from soliciting in at least the states of New Mexico and Hawaii. In August 2010, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray announced that a nation-wide arrest warrant had issued for Bobby Thompson, who had stolen the identity and Social Security Number of a victim who was not connected to the USNVA. Corday stated, “We know he bilked Ohioans out of at least $1.9 million, and we estimate that nationally he collected at least $20 million.”