UPDATE: Dems Cut Ties With Telephone Fund-Raising Firm

ByABC News
August 17, 2000, 12:10 AM

L O S   A N G E L E S, Aug. 17 -- The Democratic Party abruptly ended itsrelationship Wednesday with a telephone fund-raising firmafter learning that the company founder continued to work thereeven after his conviction in the Teamsters union scandal.

Records show the company, The Share Group Inc., was paidhundreds of thousands of dollars by the Democratic NationalCommittee and Vice President Gores election campaign in 1999 and2000.

The action, on the third day of the Democratic convention, wastaken after ABCNEWS told the party that founderMichael Ansara continued to work at the company as a contractemployee and that his wife still owns half the company.

We have verified the information that he is a contractemployee and based on that information we plan to terminate anyfuture business with Share Group, DNC spokesman Jenny Backussaid.

Democratic Party officials said they had ascertained before theyhired the firm in late 1997 that Ansara wasnt involved in theday-to-day operations.

Pleaded Guilty to Conspiracy

At the same time, correspondence shows they were informed thatAnsara still owned more than half the firm and had pleaded guiltyto conspiring with other Teamsters to misuse union dues for theunions 1996 election.

While Michael Ansara no longer has any operational control ofShare Group, he continues to own approximately 56 percent of thecompany, the company wrote the DNC in fall 1997.

A few months later, Ansara shifted the stock to his wife, whoremains on the company board. The company said Ansara was removedas chief executive in 1997 but has been hired back as a contractemployee.

I think his decisions and his actions were regrettable and hehas asked for our forgiveness a multitude of times, Share Groupscurrent president, Dennis McCarthy, said in an interview Wednesday.

We value Michaels guidance and insight. He is a damn hardworker, McCarthy said, adding Ansara does not work on any of theDemocratic or Gore business.