Money always leaves a trail, but more important than that, it always tells a story. 

In this case, money tells the story of political payoff, legal manipulation, and debt collection. Ever heard of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson? Neither had I until a few days ago.

It wasn’t until I read this investigative piece by CNN Money titled The Debt Collector That Runs Texas, that I began to fully understand the enigma of Texas politics and lobbying. Did you know that in Texas campaign donations are limitless? And that it is perfectly legal for firms, such as Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson to have lawmakers on their payroll. Neither did I.

So what story does this money trail tell?

Well, it’s rather simple actually. Essentially, Linebarger hires state and local officials in order to receive contracts to collect debt. This debt includes things such as unpaid traffic tickets, bills for emergency services use, and taxes. But where Linebarger really makes their money is by adding fees on top of the initial debt – IE: a certain percentage of what the debtor already owes. 

But in some cases, as CNN Money discovered, Linebarger’s methods are borderline abusive and in some cases, false. Don’t believe me, have a look for yourself.

CNN reports that over the last two years Linebarger has spent more than $1 million lobbying in Texas. Since 2000, Linebarger has made more than $4.5 million in campaign contributions to state officials. Curious yet?

What is even more curious are the google or Twitter search results of “Linebarger Goggan Blair”. They are everywhere – schools, nonprofits, and politics. For someone that gives away so much money and collects so much money, why do we rarely, if at all, hear about them?

Companies like Linebarger exist to not exist because of their political power. Am I screaming House of Cards, no, not yet. But when you consider the amount of money they give away, who it goes to, and who is on their payroll in comparison to the contracts they are awarded, it becomes a little suspect.

Need some perspective? Don’t worry, irony is on our side. For my fellow Dallas natives, guess who’s connected to the current trial of Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price? That’s right, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson.

Meet Kathy Nealy, a powerful political consultant who meticulously schemed with John Wiley Price to filter money to Price from firms looking to do business in Dallas County. One of those firms being Linebarger.

Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken of CNN writes that, “In Dallas, federal prosecutors allege that consultant Kathy Nealy took some of the income she earned from clients and passed along nearly $1 million in cash and other gifts, like the use of a BMW convertible, to a county commissioner (John Wiley Price). Both have entered not guilty pleas and are awaiting trial, and none of Nealy’s clients — including Linebarger — have been accused of wrongdoing. Linebarger said it is cooperating with the authorities and that it can’t comment further, while Nealy’s attorney said “an indictment does not mean guilt.”

And if that was not enough to tie Linebarger to John Wiley Price and questionable business deals, meet Demetris Sampson, a retired partner from Linebarger. She was named in a search warrant during the indictment of John Wiley Price. Sampson retired months before Price was indicted and is still awaiting trial. 

The tale is ongoing and so is the trail of money, but for now, let this be a reminder of not just where our money goes, but more importantly where it comes from.