"I'm here to actually help you because I'm concerned that you're the victim of a money laundering scheme," explains Carolyn Grace from San Diego, California, stepping up as an OMG Citizen Journalist to investigate ActBlue after discovering unusual donation patterns linked to a local woman, Barbara Dawson. ActBlue’s records indicated that Dawson made 41 donations totaling over $2,600 in just one day, which raised concern for Grace.

With data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and ElectionWatch.info, Grace visited Dawson’s home to investigate further. When Grace explained that she was on an action call from James O’Keefe, a man at the Dawson household exclaimed, “I don’t know anything about him [James O’Keefe],” adding, “Our donations are our own private business,” before slamming the door.

Despite being turned away, Grace's determination remained steadfast. Driven by her belief that Dawson might be a victim of a money laundering scheme, she made several attempts to investigate further. On her final visit, the man at the Dawson residence abruptly emerged to shout, “James O’Keefe is a lying sack of sh*t,” contradicting his earlier claim of not knowing who James O’Keefe was.

Although Carolyn Grace was unable to obtain bank statements, her courage and persistence were remarkable. In recognition of her efforts, OMG is awarding her $1,000.