人兽性交

Titus told 人兽性交 that she rode in a van to Kinney Drugs on Owasco Street. When they arrived, the driver went into the store and came out with cash.

The cash was a critical part of the offer to Titus. If she filled out a form, she would get $30. She agreed and received their payment.

"We're all like, 'Hell yeah, $30,'" Titus said.聽

The form stated that Titus donated $250 to Republican state Senate candidate Caleb Slater's campaign. In 2024, Slater challenged Democratic state Sen. Rachel May in the 48th Senate District, which includes all of Cayuga County.

But Titus did not actually give the money to Slater. As first reported by the in August, Slater's campaign finance filings show that several homeless people from Auburn are listed as campaign donors. However, those individuals have confirmed they never donated any money. They were paid, though, to provide their information.

'We knew that something was fishy'

Elton Ellinger received a phone call notifying him that "this guy was doing some gift card deal for some money," he recalled in an interview with 人兽性交.

A photo provided to 人兽性交 shows Slater's campaign had set up a table near Fastrac at the intersection of Grant and North Seward avenues. A sign presented the offer as "inflation relief."

"$25 Visa cards for only $10!" the sign continued. "Today only."

At the bottom of the sign was the disclaimer, "Paid for by Slater for Senate."

Ellinger went with a friend to check on the gift card offer. He paid $10 and received a $25 gift card.

A conversation ensued with a man who identified himself as Slater's campaign manager. He told Ellinger and his friend that they could make larger donations for more gift cards.

"That was all I had to hear," Ellinger said.

Ellinger would receive $650 in gift cards for a $250 donation and a signature. As a formerly homeless individual, he recruited the homeless people, such as Titus, to sign the donation forms.

At first, according to Ellinger, he made the donations on behalf of the homeless individuals. As the scheme grew, a different credit card was used.

"That's when the donations weren't coming from individuals anymore," he said.

Slater's campaign finance filings show he spent $17,532 at Auburn convenience stores and retail pharmacies, such as Kinney Drugs, over four days in August 2024. The explanation for the expenses was listed as "fundraising."

Ellinger estimated that he recruited about 50 people to participate in the gift cards-for-donations effort.聽

"We did see it for what it was worth," he said. "We knew that something was fishy, but we didn't care."聽

Matching funds

What Ellinger did not know at the time was Slater's campaign could receive much more money for every $250 donation.

Slater enrolled in the state Public Campaign Finance System, which launched in November 2022 ahead of the 2024 election cycle. The purpose of the program was to encourage candidates to collect small-dollar donations from in-district residents. In return, the state would provide matching funds.

For state legislative candidates, there is a $12-to-1 match for the first $50, $9-to-1 for the next $100 and $8-to1 for the next $100. A candidate can receive $2,300 in matching funds for a $250 donation.

There are other thresholds for the candidates to meet before they receive the matching funds. For state Senate candidates, they must collect $12,000 in matchable donations from 150 district residents.

Matching funds are awarded by the state Public Campaign Finance Board.

During the 2024 campaign, Slater received $238,094.14 in matching funds. The largest installment was on Aug. 27, 2024, when he received $107,701.38 in matching funds. The payment came two weeks after the gift cards-for-donations push in Auburn.聽

The vast majority of Slater's small-dollar donations, which made him eligible for matching funds, appear to be legitimate. However, the homeless people from Auburn who are listed as donors confirm they never donated to his campaign.

Slater responds

In other stories, Slater has not said much about the allegations.

When contacted by 人兽性交, Slater responded with a two-page letter. He criticized the reporting and reliance on Ellinger, who served a prison sentence after being arrested for selling cocaine, as a witness. (Ellinger disclosed his past arrest during an interview with 人兽性交.)

"The statements from Ellinger regarding him donating on behalf of homeless individuals are deeply concerning, and I made the (Public Campaign Finance Board) aware of these statements upon learning of them for the first time in a letter dated August 14," Slater wrote.

One of Slater's complaints about the prior reporting is a van mentioned in those stories has been tied to his campaign. Multiple sources have confirmed that a van was used to transport homeless individuals from Market Street Park to various stores in the city.

However, Slater said the van belonged to Ellinger's friend, not him.

"These individuals were not in any way affiliated nor employed by the Slater for Senate campaign," he added. "The knowledge of their actions was not known to me."

Slater noted that he has been in contact with the Public Campaign Finance Board, which is investigating the matter.

"I hope to see a just resolution out of all of this," he said. "I trust that their investigation will yield an accurate account of what took place, and I am awaiting the outcome of (the board's) investigation."

What state officials are saying

Kathleen McGrath, a spokesperson for the state Board of Elections and Public Campaign Finance Board, did not comment on the allegations against Slater. She cited the board's regulations that require it to keep complaints and details about investigations confidential until the complaint is either dismissed or it's determined that there was a violation.

Although McGrath could not specifically address this case, she said civil and criminal penalties are possible when violations occur. The board could assess financial penalties or make a criminal referral, she added.

The allegations against Slater have led to some criticism of the public campaign finance system. But state Sen. Rachel May, who defeated Slater in the 2024 election, still supports the matching funds program.

"The system really is designed to help people like Caleb run for office who don't have a lot of money and name recognition to start with," May, D-Syracuse, said. "I think it's important that we break down some of the barriers to running for office."

She added, "But if you're going to turn around and game the system, if that's what happened, then that damages the system for everybody. It makes people less likely to support the system overall and to me, that's really sad because I think it's important that we keep this system going."

May, like Slater, participated in the public campaign finance system in 2024. She explained that candidates need to raise a certain number of small contributions from district residents to meet the state-imposed threshold. From there, the state Public Campaign Finance Board will determine whether you are eligible for matching funds.

One of the important elements of the program, according to May, is that it encourages candidates to get support from within the district.聽

"If instead you're going around and you are paying people or you're offering people something to get them on your list, then that violates the whole spirit of the law because the whole point is that we, as candidates, should be reaching out to as many people and convincing them that we are the best candidate or that they should support us," she said.

The aftermath

As the state Public Campaign Finance Board continues to investigate the donations, Ellinger and Titus hope there won't be any consequences for their roles in the matter.

Ellinger told 人兽性交 he contacted the board "because I don't want to get in trouble." He was aware of the ongoing investigation.

Reflecting on his experience, Ellinger said she did not know much about Slater when he first met him. Once he learned more about Slater, he disagreed with the candidate's stances on issues.聽

"We're glad we took money from him," he added.

Titus told 人兽性交 that she and other homeless people were excited about the free money. She used the money to buy drugs and food, she said.

Would she do it again?

"Hell, no," she said. "I didn't know what it was. If I did, I would've never signed it."