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Laptop stolen from ex-aide to Gov. Ritter

Item likely vital to finance case

By Chris Barge, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 15, 2008 at 11 p.m.

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Greg Kolomitz cited for improperly paying Ritter campaign bills.

Greg Kolomitz cited for improperly paying Ritter campaign bills.

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A laptop owned by the former campaign manager that Gov. Bill Ritter publicly disowned has been reported stolen, raising unanswered questions about its contents.

Ritter accused Greg Kolomitz on April 15 of writing himself and his company $83,250 worth of unauthorized checks. The governor also produced an audit finding Kolomitz improperly paid $217,164.56 in campaign bills with money donated for the Democratic governor's inauguration.

Three days later, on April 18, Kolomitz reported to Denver police that his Dell laptop had been stolen from inside his locked Colfax Avenue political consulting firm, Solutions West, sometime between the afternoon of April 16 and the morning of April 18.

"Unknown suspect(s) took the listed laptop from the victim's locked office by unknown means and fled in an unknown direction," the report reads. "The victim stated that only the building cleaning crew had keys to the offices."

Police said they have no leads, and Kolomitz declined to comment for this story.

"It's unfortunate because I'm sure that laptop contains critical information about what happened," said Scott Gessler, the attorney who filed a complaint against Ritter and Kolomitz on behalf of Rep. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs.

The Colorado Secretary of State's office has forwarded Lambert's campaign finance violation complaint to the Office of Administrative Courts.

Lawyers for Lambert and Ritter are in the process of arguing through a series of briefs whether the case should be dismissed. They have until early June to file the last of those arguments.

If Lambert succeeds in having an administrative law judge hear the case, Gessler said he may be able to subpoena Kolomitz.

Gessler said that trial wouldn't be scheduled until at least July.

"It's not on the rocket docket," he said.

Comments

  • May 16, 2008

    7:18 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    DahmersCookbook writes:

    D.A. using it for "fun time". This will lead to A suicide.

  • May 16, 2008

    9:39 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    LingLingfor_prez writes:

    stolen = lost for convienence.

  • May 16, 2008

    10:56 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    BikerChick writes:

    ..
    Wanna bet this is part of a 'dirty-tricks' cover-up ?

    Where is the honorable Colorado Attorney General on the criminal nonsense that is transpiring in the Colorado Governor's office and his political campaign ?

    Likewise, the U S DOJ-FBI ?

    And what about the Colorado CBI and the U S Attorney, who conspired with the U S DHS-ICE (Copp and Olmos) to skewer Agent Voorhis, a true and honest patriot ? Where is the balance ?

    Though a jury of his peers totally exonerated Voorhis a month ago, Ritter declared him guilty when he appeared on the Caplis and Silverman Radio Show two weeks ago. The gross indecency and malfeasance was not hammered. Why ?

    The magical disappearance of the Ritter-staff laptop is part of a scheme to purify a criminally errant governor and his minions. Just because the malfeasance is part of his addicted personality matters not. Feloneous behaviors cannot be tolerated.

    Where is the justice here ? Why is a fair-haired friend of Bishop Charles Chaput being protected ?

    How long will YOU allow this travesty to continue ?
    ..

  • May 16, 2008

    3:32 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mikeyg writes:

    I think that's the same laptop I saw in the pictures from the kegger at the Governor's Mansion - looked like young Ritter was using it to play a party music playlist from his online library.