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{{Show badges| Koch Exposed}}'''Mark Block''' was the State Director of the Wisconsin chapter of the [[Koch]]-funded [[Americans for Prosperity]] and the chief of staff for [[Herman Cain]]'s 2012 presidential campaign.<ref>[http://www.americansforprosperity.org/about/staff "Staff"] Americans for Prosperity website, accessed September 2009.</ref> He has also been involved in a variety of other conservative right-wing groups. <ref> Brendan Fischer and Sara Jerving, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/11/11114/cmds-quick-guide-mark-block-blocktopus CMD's Quick Guide to "The Blocktopus"], the Center for Media and Democracy's PRwatch.org, Nov. 8, 2011. </ref>

On November 7, 2011, the [[Center for Media and Democracy]] filed a request asking that the Internal Revenue Service investigate [[Prosperity USA]], a tax exempt group founded and led by Block, for possibly violating the IRS prohibition against charities participating in political campaigns. <ref name="CMD complaint"> [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/11/11111/cmd-requests-irs-investigate-charity-accused-fronting-private-jets-presidential-c CMD Requests IRS Investigate Charity Accused of Fronting Private Jets for Presidential Campaign] (press release), PRwatch.org, Nov. 7, 2011. </ref> The Center also asked the IRS to look into other groups associated with Block for potential tax code violations.

{{#evpev:youtube|lwawPMSJins |210|right| Herman Cain’s “Now is the time for action!” ad featuring Mark Block |right|210frame}}

==Controversy== ===Lawsuit accusing Block of illegal political coordination=Controversies==

In 1997, ===Lawsuit Accusing Block was the campaign manager for Jon Wilcox, a member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court who was running for another term in office. The Wilcox campaign faced a tough challenger, well-known Wisconsin lawyer Walt Kelly, and in its final get-out-the-vote efforts, the Wilcox camp allegedly coordinated activities with independent special interests, which would have been a violation of campaign finance law.<ref nameIllegal Political Coordination===Nichols>John Nichols, [http://www.thenation.com/blog/164306/herman-cains-next-scandal-his-smoking-campaign-manager# Herman Cain’s Next Scandal: His Smoking Campaign Manager], The Nation, November 1, 2011.</ref>

Following In 1997, Block was the electioncampaign manager for Jon Wilcox, a member of the Kelly Wisconsin Supreme Court who was running for another term in office. The Wilcox campaignfaced a tough challenger, as well as -known Wisconsin lawyer Walt Kelly, and in its final get-out-the Madison newspaper ''Capital Times''-vote efforts, called for an investigation into the Wilcox campaign’s election camp allegedly coordinated activities. In 2001with "independent" special interests, the Wisconsin Elections Board did investigate the matter and formally alleged the which would have been a violation of campaign, including Block, violated state election finance law.<ref name=Nichols >John Nichols, [http://www.thenation.com/blog/164306/herman-cains-next-scandal-his-smoking-campaign-manager# Herman Cain’s Next Scandal: His Smoking Campaign Manager], The Nation, November 1, 2011.</ref>

Following the election, the Kelly campaign, as well as the Madison newspaper ''Capital Times'', called for an investigation into the Wilcox denied having knowledge of any possible illegal coordination; howevercampaign’s election activities, and specifically into a last-minute mailer to 354,000 voters whose authorship was undisclosed. In 2001, the Wisconsin Elections Board investigated the matter and formally alleged the campaign, including Block, he ultimately violated state election law.<ref name=Nichols /> Wilcox paid a $10,000 fine, Block paid a $15,000 fine and was barred from Wisconsin politics for three years. In total, Wilcox associates paid $60,000, the largest fine in Wisconsin election law history.<ref name=Nichols > Ryan J. Foley and Shannon McCaffrey,[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/28/mark-block-herman-cain-chief-of-staff_n_1063425.html Mark Block, Herman Cain Chief Of Staff, Has Checkered Past].</ref> <ref>http://journaltimes.com/news/state-and-regional/elections-board-settles-wilcox-case-for-record-fine/article_73fdd24a-e9ec-5f4a-9016-1d2324e58812.html</ref>

Block settled sued the elections board, but was ultimately forced to settle in a lawsuit accusing him of illegally case WISCONSIN COALITION FOR VOTER PARTICIPATION INC v. STATE ELECTIONS BOARD. The case established that that coordination. While maintaining his innocencebetween third party, Block agreed to pay $15,000 dark money groups and stay out of politics in any capacity for three yearscandidates was prohibited under Wisconsin law.<ref>Ryan J. Foley This was the guiding legal precedent implicated by the [[Scott Walker]] John Doe II investigation into alleged coordination between Walker and Shannon McCaffrey, another dark money group [[http://wwwWisconsin Club for Growth]] during the 2012 recall period.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/28/markIn September 2015, the right-block-herman-cain-chief-of-staff_n_1063425wing majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the Wilcox precedent in a footnote, and legalized candidate coordination with unlimited dark money groups becoming the first court in the nation to do so.html Mark BlockTwo Wisconsin justices, Herman Cain Chief Of Staff, Has Checkered Pastwho were elected after large expenditures by [[Wisconsin Club for Growth]], Huffington Postwere asked to recuse in the case by a state appointed special prosecutor, October 28, 2011but declined to do so. Learn more on the [[Scott Walker]] page in Sourcewatch.</ref>

===Caging scheme Scheme with Americans for Prosperity===

===Questionable activity Activity with Prosperity USA and Herman Cain campaignCampaign===

Friends of Herman Cain (FOH) was a political action committee (PAC), with Mr. Block named as treasurer, and registered with the [[Federal Election Commission]] on May 3, 2011. FOH began raising and spending money in January 2011 even though FOH did not officially register until May 2011.<ref name=CMD /> That January, the PAC raised only $60,000 to cover its $160,000 worth of expenses.<ref name=PR>Center for Media and Democracy, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/11/11111/cmd-requests-irs-investigate-charity-accused-fronting-private-jets-presidential-c CMD Requests IRS Investigate Charity Accused of Fronting Private Jets for Presidential Campaign], PR Watch, November 7, 2011.</ref>

FOH was also listed as a creditor on Prosperity USA's financial documents in February 2011. A Prosperity USA report lists accounts receivable "Due from FOH" for over $40,000 in Cain's travel expenses and for Apple Computer iPads.<ref name=CMD>Brendan Fischer and Sarah Jerving, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/11/11114/cmds-quick-guide-mark-block-blocktopus CMD's Quick Guide to the Mark Block "Blocktopus"], PR Watch, November 8, 2011.</ref>

Prosperity USA's known spending on Mr. Cain's campaign expenses appears to have occurred in January or February of 2011, well after the period Mr. Cain became a candidate within the meaning of Code section 501(c)(3), in the view of the Center for Media and Democracy, and after Mr. Block became his campaign's chief of staff.<ref name=CMD /> Tax-exempt charities are prohibited from intervening in the political campaign for any candidate for public office, no matter the post.<ref>Brendan Fischer, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/03/11402/feds-scrutinizing-mark-block-cmd-requested-investigation Feds Scrutinizing Mark Block; CMD Requested an Investigation], PR Watch, March 30, 2012.</ref>

This guide was originally published by PR Watch prwatch.org of the [[Center for Media and Democracy]]. See the "References" section below for more information. <ref name=CMD />

Wisconsin's Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the state arm of the national group started by oil billionaire [[David Koch]] and [[Richard Fink]] (a member of the board of directors of Koch Industries). North Carolina's [[Art Pope]] also sits sat on the board of the national organization that Mr. Koch chairs. On December 7, 2010, Mr. Block announced that he would be resigning from AFP on December 31 to join the Cain campaign as Chief of Staff.

*Brendan Fischer and Sara Jerving, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/11/11114/cmds-quick-guide-mark-block-blocktopus CMD's Quick Guide to the Mark Block "Blocktopus"], PRWatch, November 8, 2011

* Anne Landman [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/03/10347/consider-source-maciver-news-service Consider the Source: MacIver News Service], ''PRWatch.org'', March 15, 2011

* Lisa Graves [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/03/10375/cmd-special-report-who-are-headliners-koch-funded-afp-conventions A CMD Special Report: Who Are the Headliners at Koch-Funded AFP Conventions?], ''PRWatch.org,'' March 29, 2011 * Brendan Fischer [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/04/10537/walker-van-hollen-prosser-and-others-attended-koch-fueled-americans-prosperitys-t Walker, Van Hollen, Prosser and Others Attended Koch-Fueled Americans for Prosperity's Tea Party Conventions], ''PRWatch.org,'' April 4, 2011