Wismer Hones EB-5 Attack

SIOUX FALLS — Less than a day after a sometimes contentious legislative hearing on South Dakota’s EB-5/Northern Beef Packers controversy, Democratic gubernatorial challenger Susan Wismer unveiled a more finely honed message about the scandal Thursday.

“Joop Bollen (former director of the South Dakota International Business Institute and then SDRC, Inc.) has walked off with over $100 million in fees due to self-dealing contract,” the state representative from Britton said. “No one will answer who authorized this man-in-the-mirror contract,” referencing former Gov. Mike Rounds, current Gov. Dennis Daugaard and Attorney General Marty Jackley.

Rounds is the current front-runner out of four candidates to fill retiring Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Johnson’s seat. Daugaard is running against Wismer and independent Mike Myers for re-election as governor. Jackley is also up for re-election and faces a Libertarian candidate.

Wismer called on Jackley to charge Bollen with theft by deception, just as he was going to charge the late Richard Benda last fall with the same charge over double billing of expenses when he was Bollen’s contact with state government.

“I will direct the AG to charge Joop Bollen with theft by deception when I am governor,” Wismer said.

She added that the statute of limitations is seven years and the alleged theft of loan origination money may have started in 2008. She also said Bollen was also on the state’s payroll from 2008 to 2010.

“The state paid his (Bollen’s) wages while he was collecting these fees,” Wismer asserted.

When asked about the staff support of the Government Operations and Audit Committee, of which Wismer is a member, she says Legislative Audit can only analyze the data they are given.

However, she rejected Rep. Melissa Magstadt’s statement from Wednesday’s hearing that the committee members “are not investigators.”

As to any role by the Legislative Research Council, Wismer said, “that when there is a question of partisanship, we do our best to leave the LRC out of it.” The LRC is the legislature’s research arm, with a number of attorneys and staff who analyze information and draft legislation for legislators.
Wismer said GOAC will meet again after the election Nov. 14. Their report to the full legislature is due Dec. 1.
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