The Republican-endorsed candidate for auditor claimed to be a ‘certified fraud examiner.’ He is not.

One endorsement that did not erupt in feverish debate at the state Republican convention in Duluth last month was that of state auditor.

Nate George, whose many hats include mayor of Braham and licensing investigations director at the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe’s Gambling Regulation Authority, cruised to a first ballot endorsement, garnering 76% of the vote. 

“Nate George brings the background, judgment, and real-world experience Minnesota needs in the state auditor’s office,” declared Alex Plechash, state GOP chairman, following George’s endorsement.

George, however, has embellished his record in attempting to draw a contrast with Zack Filipovich, the DFL-endorsed candidate for the auditor seat that opened after incumbent Julie Blaha said she would not run. His campaign has promised to clarify the exaggerations.

In a Facebook post on June 29, George compared himself to Filipovich, an accountant from Duluth, on the “qualification area” of “fraud detection expertise.”

George put a green checkmark by his name because he is a “certified fraud examiner.” A red X was placed by Filipovich, who is not a certified fraud examiner. 

He then moved on to accounting credentials in the post. He gave a green checkmark to his opponent, who is a certified management accountant. But George also gave a checkmark to himself because he has the credential of certified fraud examiner. 

George, however, is not a certified fraud examiner.

It is a designation bestowed by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a professional group for investigators that is based in Austin, Texas. 

Ashley Glenn, certification manager at the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, emailed that George has not even applied for such a certification, must less been awarded the credential. 

After I relayed this information, George’s campaign admitted that their candidate is not a certified fraud examiner, a claim that was also made in a June 15 Facebook post entitled, “Experience that matches the mission.”

Neither post has subsequently been taken down. 

George’s campaign did not make their candidate available for an interview. 

They provided a statement, which read, in part, “While I publicly announced on June 8 that I was pursuing the Certified Fraud Examiner credential after receiving an ACFE-Twin Cities Chapter scholarship, I recognize that my later posts should have referenced the June 8 post and made it clearer that I was still competing the certification process.”

“I appreciate the opportunity to clarify that, and I’ll make sure future references accurately reflect my status until the credential is officially awarded,” George stated. 

What is a certified fraud examiner?

Any Minnesotan with even a passing engagement in state government over the past year has heard the word “fraud” spill out countless times from the mouths of politicians, particularly Republicans. 

The focus is based in part on real life fraud allegations against Minnesota Medicaid providers that happened under the watch of Gov. Tim Walz. 

But fraud is also vaguely used in contexts like a state auditor’s race in which the winning candidate will be scrutinizing the affairs of not state government but city and county public bodies.

Here, George attempted to burnish his (literal) fraud-fighting credentials by saying he got this certification.

But to get such a certification, one must pass a three-part exam with tests on fraud schemes and financial crimes, fraud investigations and legal issues, and fraud prevention and deterrence. 

George’s campaign said that he plans to take these exams in September.

The certification also requires two years of experience “either directly or indirectly related to fraud detection or deterrence,” explained Stefanie Hallgren, a spokesperson for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

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It is unclear if George possesses this experience. According to his LinkedIn, George’s experience is mostly as a manager of physical security operations and with the U.S. Air Force. 

George’s opponents for auditor, neither of whom is a certified fraud examiner, predictably pounced on the candidate’s embellishment. 

“For someone to say they’re the best person to tackle fraud by providing fraudulent credentials is an irony that’s impossible to miss,” noted Aaron Rothe, campaign manager for Filipovich. 

“I think what most voters want is honest and transparent leadership that will hold people accountable,” said Scott Jensen, a Republican candidate for auditor and former GOP nominee for governor whom George trounced for the GOP endorsement. “We don’t need to embellish or exaggerate.”

Is George exaggerating anything else?

George’s claims on LinkedIn, and on his campaign website, give the impression of someone who is very busy.

Presently, George holds full-time positions with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, one involving licensing investigations operations and another ensuring that the band comply with FBI security protocols.

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe declined to release information about George’s employment history. 

He is also the mayor of Braham, a town of fewer than 1,800 residents that sits 50 miles north of the Twin Cities. This is a part-time position, as is another job for the city: On-call firefighter and first responder.

Braham officials enthusiastically vouched for George.

“Nate’s been really involved because he’s helped with the city’s financing,” said Kevin Stahl, the town’s police chief. “He’s a lot more involved than past mayors.”

George also asserted that he wears multiple hats for the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Per LinkedIn, present duties include:

• A superintendent of logistics and force protection who is “overseeing the morale, health and welfare of over 20 enlisted members.”
• A contingency war planner who serves on headquarters staff to “plan contingency operations in response to emerging or existing threats.”

The Air Force confirmed that George currently holds the title of superintendent of logistics and force protection at Beale Air Force Base in northern California. 

Sean Houlihan, a spokesperson for the Air Force, said that it has no record of George as a contingency war planner.

“You would need to contact [Master Sergeant George] directly to ask about the title ‘Contingency War Planner’ as the information provided by Air Reserve Personnel Center has only his current duty title,” Houlihan explained. 

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A campaign spokesperson said that contingency war planner is not a separate position, but part of his job duties as superintendent of logistics and force protection. 

One part of George’s record that’s easy to verify is whether he has a peace officer license, which qualifies you to work in Minnesota as a sworn law enforcement officer. The Minnesota Peace Officer Standard and Training division lets you search for license holders by name. 

George’s campaign spokesperson emailed that he “received his license in 2011.”

But according to Peace Officer Standards and Training, George got his license in 2018 and it expired in 2021.

A campaign spokesperson first said the state data was incorrect and that George passed his exam in 2011. When presented again with information that George got his license in 2018, the spokesperson replied, “Yes, just like his LinkedIn says.”

The LinkedIn page notes that in 2018 George served as deputy sheriff in Pine County for five months.

Besides auditor candidate, gambling regulatory authority manager, liaison with the FBI on gambling security, mayor, firefighter, Air Force superintendent and contingency war planner, what else is on Nate George’s plate?

George graduated from Hamline University in May with a master’s degree in law, not to be confused with graduating from law school from Mitchell Hamline School of Law. George’s campaign said that he got a certificate to be a paralegal in Minnesota.

According to the Minnesota Paralegal Association, there is no certificate needed to become a paralegal in Minnesota. 

“Anyone can work as a paralegal in Minnesota, and it is up to the employer whether they will require specific education, certificate, experience, or none of the above when hiring,” emailed Ann Lacher, the Paralegal Association’s membership coordinator. 

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