{"id":4493,"date":"2013-09-14T20:00:56","date_gmt":"2013-09-15T03:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/?p=4493"},"modified":"2014-11-05T01:30:46","modified_gmt":"2014-11-05T08:30:46","slug":"the-congresswoman-who-cant-escape-the-dui-scandal-that-haunts-her","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/?p=4493","title":{"rendered":"The Congresswoman who can&#8217;t escape the DUI manslaughter scandal that haunts her."},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"The%20Congresswoman%20who%20can%27t%20escape%20the%20DUI%20manslaughter%20scandal%20that%20haunts%20her.\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p>By Peter Lance. July 12th, 2014.\u00a0<strong>Rep.\u00a0Lois Capps (D-CA)<\/strong>\u00a0stands on the podium of the very worthy<strong> <a title=\"Pacific Pride Fest\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pacificpridefoundation.org\/index.php\/events\/pacific-pride-festival\">Pacific Pride Festival<\/a> <\/strong>in Santa Barbara, looming over two images that continue to haunt her. The first is a poster from the memorial service for<a title=\"Mal Facebook\" href=\"On May 21st, 2013, the day of the L.A. Mayoral election, Ms. Culver was cited on Eric Garcetti\u2019s website as one of two point persons designated to thwart voter fraud.   Ms. Culver\u2019s cell phone number listed on that site was the same one she used in the VA Form 10-10-EZ in the box for Raymond Victor Morua\u2019s \u201cHome Telephone Number;\u201d listing herself \u201cMollie\u201d as his contact in the Application For Health Benefits.  That form, on which Ms. Culver filled out all of his personal information in blue ink and forged Mr. Morua\u2019s signature, warns of potential \u201cfines and\/or imprisonment for up to 5 years, for concealing a material fact or making a material misstatement of fact.\u201d  According to Legistorm, a website that tracks Members of Congress and their staffs, Ms. Culver began working for Mrs. Capps after the Garcetti election. She was paid $36,500.02 in 2013 and her salary through the first quarter of 2014 was $18,083.33.  An email sent to Ms. Culver requesting her response to the FBI investigation went unanswered. Chris Meagher, Mrs. Capps press secretary who attended \u201cThe Holiday Bash\u201d with Mr. Morua did not return my phone call requesting a comment for this piece.\"><strong> Mallory Rae Dies,<\/strong><\/a> the 27-year-old UCSB graduate who was killed December 6th in a horrific hit-and-run DUI manslaughter crash by Mrs. Capps&#8217; then District Representative <strong>Raymond Victor Morua III. <\/strong>The second is a banner from <strong><a title=\"vow4mal\" href=\"http:\/\/www.vow4mal.org\/\">Vow4Mal.org<\/a>,<\/strong> the non-profit set up in her honor to stop drunk driving.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Lois-Pride-Fest-photo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-4495\" title=\"Lois Pride Fest photo\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Lois-Pride-Fest-photo.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"465\" height=\"638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Lois-Pride-Fest-photo.png 717w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Lois-Pride-Fest-photo-218x300.png 218w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 465px) 100vw, 465px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In late May the FBI began\u00a0<a title=\"LA Times\" href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-la-probe-capps-aide-20140612-story.html\">\u00a0investigating allegation<\/a>s raised in <a title=\"link to News-Press Morua page\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newspress.com\/morua-capps\/\">my 5-part investigative series in The Santa Barbara News-Press<\/a> (published April 13-17th) that Mrs. Capp&#8217;s District Director <a title=\"Culver FBI\" href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/?p=4412\"><strong>Mollie Culver<\/strong><\/a> broke federal law in <a title=\"Damage Control\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newspress.com\/morua-capps\/20.html\">a scheme to get Mr. Morua out of jai<\/a>l and into a VA-funded alcohol treatment facility in the days immediately after the crash while Mallory clung to life.<\/p>\n<p>Then, as I reported, as soon as she was taken off life support Ms. Culver did a 180 degree turn, <a title=\"Part 2\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newspress.com\/morua-capps\/25.html\">falsely claiming<\/a> that Mr. Morua was not working for Mrs. Capps the night of the accident when he drank six vodkas at a party sponsored by <strong>The <a title=\"PL Indy coverage\" href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/?p=3733\">Santa Barbara Independent<\/a>,<\/strong> then got into his Dodge Caliber with a BAC of .17, more than twice the legal limit.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Capps continues to take the position,\u00a0<a title=\"Daily Mail no comment\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-2610904\/Parents-woman-killed-DUI-hit-run-sue-CONGRESSWOMAN-employed-drunk-driver-saying-working-room-drank-8-cocktails-3-hours.html\">&#8220;no comment&#8221;<\/a> while Mr. Morua has accepted responsibility. He\u00a0<a title=\"News Press RVM guilty sent.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newspress.com\/morua-capps\/3.html\">pled guilty April 15th<\/a>\u00a0to charges of manslaughter DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.<\/p>\n<p>On May 28th he was sentenced to from 20 years to life and is now serving out his term in Wasco State Prison.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Morua recently did a video interview for a public service announcement warning about the dangers of drinking and driving.<\/p>\n<p>But after denouncing him, following Mallory&#8217;s death, Mrs. Capps and her attorney from the U.S. House continue to claim, against the weight of the evidence, that he attended the Indy&#8217;s Holiday Bash <a title=\"Mary Beth Walker letter\" href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-08-at-8.43.39-PM1.png\">&#8220;in his personal capacity&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>If the Government, which is representing Mrs. Capps, prevails with that position in court, Mallory&#8217;s family will be denied any chance of recovering damages for her loss and the $100s of $1000&#8217;s in medical bill they now face.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Fox FBI\" href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2014\/06\/09\/fbi-doj-reportedly-probing-california-rep-ties-to-driver-in-dui-death\/\">The FBI-DOJ investigation<\/a>\u00a0came after more than 1,000 people online and in the street signed\u00a0<a title=\"petition\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thepetitionsite.com\/996\/536\/291\/mallory-rae-dies-petition\/\">a petition<\/a>\u00a0asking Mrs. Capps to tell the truth about my series and calling on Santa Barbara District Attorney Joyce Dudley to ask the Justice Department to intervene. But Mrs. Capps and her staff have continued to deny any responsibility for Mr. Morua&#8217;s actions following The Independent&#8217;s Holiday Bash.<\/p>\n<p>In<a title=\"Indy full of inaccuracies\" href=\"http:\/\/www.independent.com\/news\/2014\/apr\/15\/morua-pleads-guilty-dui-and-fatal-hit-and-run-char\/\">\u00a0a story in The Independent<\/a> authored by <a title=\"Hayden Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Screen-Shot-2014-05-04-at-10.04.50-PM1.png\">Tyler Hayden<\/a>, Mrs. Capps, who is seeking her 9th term in congress, called my series <a title=\"Death link\" href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/?p=3153\"><strong>Death On The American Riviera<\/strong><\/a> &#8220;full of inaccuracies,&#8221; but she and her press secretary <a title=\"Meagher Indy bio\" href=\"http:\/\/www.independent.com\/staff\/chris-meagher\/\">Chris Meaghe<\/a>r, a former Indy reporter, have \u00a0refused to be specific or cite a single factual allegation in the 20,500 word series that was incorrect.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday July 12th, after he was texted the picture above Mr. Dies said, &#8220;It actually looks as if Mal is looking up at her and laughing at her indifference. I can promise you that the supporters of Vow4Mal will dog Mrs. Capps at every event on her campaign trail until she comes clean.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The FBI began its investigation May 27th by interviewing Mr. Morua who was then still in Santa Barbara County Jail. They also interviewed his former fianc<strong>\u00e9 Teresa Montoya<\/strong>, who is now his wife, as well as his mother<strong> Rose Saucedo.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All three of them confirmed my findings with respect to Ms. Culver&#8217;s scheme to get Mr. Morua out of jail &#8212; a plan that involved her forging two separate VA forms which carry stiff fines and prison terms if they are used improperly.<\/p>\n<p>The referral to <a title=\"PIN\" href=\"http:\/\/www.justice.gov\/criminal\/pin\/\">The Public Integrity Section<\/a> of the U.S. Department of Justice was made by <a title=\"Birotte\" href=\"http:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao\/biographies\/birotte.html\"><strong>Andr\u00e9 Birotte Jr<\/strong><\/a>. the U.S. Attorney for The Central District of California in Los Angeles who was <a title=\"Obama nomination\" href=\"http:\/\/www.scpr.org\/blogs\/politics\/2014\/04\/03\/16277\/andre-birotte-jr-gets-obama-nod-for-federal-judges\/\">nominated by <strong>President Barack Obama<\/strong><\/a> on April 3rd to become a federal judge. The nomination was recently confirmed\u00a0by the Senate Judiciary Committee.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I certainly hope that Mrs. Capps&#8217;s vaunted position in the Democratic Party will not deter the President from insuring that his Justice Department will leave no stone unturned in this investigation,&#8221; said Mrs. Dies. &#8220;This was never about politics. It was about discovering the truth.&#8221;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-13-at-12.46.13-AM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-4533\" title=\"Screen Shot 2014-07-13 at 12.46.13 AM\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-13-at-12.46.13-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"244\" height=\"314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-13-at-12.46.13-AM.png 244w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-13-at-12.46.13-AM-233x300.png 233w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>On June 7th I broke the story that in 2012<a title=\"Mollie Electoral\" href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/?p=4412\"> Ms. Culver was one of 55 members of the California delegation in The Electoral College<\/a> who voted for President Obama. She&#8217;s the former political director of the California Democratic Party and was instrumental in helping<a title=\"Garcetti site Culver\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ericgarcetti.com\/vote\"> Eric Garcetti<\/a> get elected Mayor of Los Angeles last year. \u00a0On May 21<sup>st<\/sup>, 2013, the day of the L.A. Mayoral election, Ms. Culver was cited on <a title=\"garcetti.com\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ericgarcetti.com\/vote\">Mr. Garcetti\u2019s website<\/a> as one of two point persons designated to thwart intimidation at the polls.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-08-at-2.20.48-PM1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4498\" title=\"Screen Shot 2014-07-08 at 2.20.48 PM\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-08-at-2.20.48-PM1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"453\" height=\"153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-08-at-2.20.48-PM1.png 566w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-08-at-2.20.48-PM1-300x101.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 453px) 100vw, 453px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Culver\u2019s cell phone number listed on that site was the same one she used in the VA Form 10-10-EZ in the box for Raymond Victor Morua\u2019s \u201cHome Telephone Number;\u201d listing herself \u201cMollie\u201d as his contact in the Application For Health Benefits.<\/p>\n<p>That form, on which Ms. Culver filled out all of his personal information in blue ink and forged Mr. Morua\u2019s signature, warns of potential \u201cfines and\/or imprisonment for up to 5 years, for concealing a material fact or making a material misstatement of fact.\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-13-at-12.41.56-AM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-4530\" title=\"Screen Shot 2014-07-13 at 12.41.56 AM\" src=\"http:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-13-at-12.41.56-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"481\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-13-at-12.41.56-AM.png 534w, https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Screen-Shot-2014-07-13-at-12.41.56-AM-277x300.png 277w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 481px) 100vw, 481px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>According to <a title=\"Legistorm Culver salary\" href=\"http:\/\/www.legistorm.com\/person\/Mollie_Culver\/211324.html\">Legistorm<\/a>, a website that tracks Members of Congress and their staffs, Ms. Culver began working for Mrs. Capps after the Garcetti election. She was paid $36,500.02 in 2013 and her salary through the first quarter of 2014 was $18,083.33.<\/p>\n<p>An email sent to Ms. Culver requesting her response to the FBI investigation went unanswered. Chris Meagher, Mrs. Capps press secretary who attended The Holiday Bash with Mr. Morua did not return my phone call requesting a comment for this piece.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"The%20Congresswoman%20who%20can%27t%20escape%20the%20DUI%20manslaughter%20scandal%20that%20haunts%20her.\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><p>By Peter Lance. July 12th, 2014.\u00a0Rep.\u00a0Lois Capps (D-CA)\u00a0stands on the podium of the very worthy Pacific Pride Festival in Santa Barbara, looming over two images that continue to haunt her. The first is a poster from the memorial service for Mallory Rae Dies, the 27-year-old UCSB graduate who was killed December 6th in a horrific [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[499,555,554,563,584,549,526,1211,531,546,193,548,527,529,579,189,540,511,556,518,513,519,553,551,533,517,550,541,201,192,542,582,583,508,547,522,561,580,578,534,523,585,510,532,538,539,535,560,126,558,559,528,509,536,520,512,525,1221,516,524,552,515,521,530,537,557,514],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4493"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4493"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4503,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4493\/revisions\/4503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peterlance.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}