AZGOP Candidate Finchem Boasts of Accessing Sensitive FinCEN Data

Former Arizona lawmaker Mark Finchem is under scrutiny after claiming he received access to a confidential federal law enforcement database from a police department currently facing a criminal investigation. The former House representative, who ran for the Arizona Senate, made these assertions during interviews within far-right media circles, discussing a probe involving Tennessee’s Millersville Police Department.

Earlier this month, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) executed a raid on the Millersville Police Department as part of an ongoing inquiry into the actions of Assistant Police Chief Shawn Taylor. Taylor is reportedly collaborating with Finchem’s nonprofit in this unusual investigation, which has attracted attention due to its conspiracy-laden assertions.

Local district attorneys have confirmed to NewsChannel 5 that the TBI is examining allegations concerning Taylor’s potential misuse of sensitive law enforcement data to pursue personal political vendettas. This scrutiny extends to accusations of perjury from a Millersville detective during a failed child predator sting operation.

Finchem has boasted about receiving access to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Database (FinCEN), which is maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to combat financial crimes, including money laundering. He claimed that his organization tapped into FinCEN’s information to investigate allegations of election fraud. Previously sanctioned by the courts for his false statements surrounding election integrity, Finchem’s assertions raise legal concerns.

It is illegal to disclose FinCEN data publicly. Despite reaching out for comments, neither the Treasury Department nor Finchem has responded. Unauthorized sharing of this information is deemed a severe violation, threatening national security and the safety of individuals who report suspicious activities.

Precedents for prosecution exist; for instance, in 2020, a former Treasury official was sentenced to prison for leaking sensitive FinCEN information. Furthermore, Taylor has also expressed intentions to utilize FinCEN data for investigations related to conspiracy theories.

Finchem, who recently secured the Republican primary for a Senate seat in Arizona, has built his political identity around unfounded claims of election fraud and affiliations with extremist groups like the Oath Keepers. Always at the fringes of political discourse, he draws attention for his involvement with conspiracy theorists and has even participated in discussions invoking the QAnon narrative.

In a controversial interview commemorating the 9/11 attacks, he made several unsubstantiated allegations, including connections between judicial figures in the ongoing investigation and child sex trafficking rings, echoing baseless QAnon theories. Finchem’s pattern of seeking alliances with fringe elements of society, including those at QAnon events, is well-documented.