Indie Film Watch: ‘Murder, Spies, & Voting Lies: The Clint Curtis Story’

“Murder, Spies, & Voting Lies” tells of two men investigating fraud in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.
Indie Film Watch: ‘Murder, Spies, & Voting Lies: The Clint Curtis Story’
11/5/2008
Updated:
11/5/2008

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LOS ANGELES—Pitch this: a voting scandal involving Chinese spies, blackmail, elected officials with close affiliation to the president, computer technology, a fair-haired noble hero, and a murder set in the most powerful nation known for defending democracy.

If this were the imaginative brainchild of a Hollywood writer, it would make for a great entertaining thriller. However, as it is a documentary exposing actual events, none of the mainstream media or studios had an interest in airing this alarming, outrageous, and lamentable tale. Fortunately for the journalists and film producers, the Internet provides an open vehicle to get this story out directly to the public.

Murder, Spies, & Voting Lies: The Clint Curtis Story, a documentary directed by Patty Sharaf, focuses on the story of Curtis and blogger Brad Friedman as they probe deeply into widely held assertions and concerns about corruption in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.

The film begins with footage of Curtis, a computer programmer testifying at a U.S. Congressional Judiciary Committee hearing under oath, claiming that in the year 2000 he was approached by present-day Florida Congressman Tom Feeney, to create vote-rigging software for Florida’s electronic voting machines while he was working at Yang Enterprises.

Curtis also asserts that a co-worker at Yang Enterprises in Oviedo, Florida, inserted spyware into sensitive programs that Yang had built for NASA, and that the company over-billed the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) by more than $800,000. Curtis brought the story to blogger Brad Friedman, who broke it in late 2004 when all other avenues failed to address these serious allegations, including the FBI, the CIA, the Department of Homeland Security, or the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement.

Friedman has continued to track this story while paying great attention to the 2008 election, reporting various voting irregularities and complaints throughout the country.
Looking at the facts presented in the film surrounding the death of Florida’s Inspector General Raymond Lemme, who was actively investigating this case, brings into question the extent of what is presented as a high-level coverup.

In the film, Curtis expresses remorse for having involved Lemme in the case that he asserts would ultimately cost him his life. On their last visit, Lemme told Curtis he had traced the matter “all the way to the top” and that he would “be pleased with the outcome.”

Lemme was found dead in a hotel room in June 2003. The police report attributed his death to suicide, though this conclusion conflicts with other evidence presented in the film.

Adding to the bizarre string of events surrounding this case, Curtis’s own dog, a two-year-old German shepherd named Champ, was shot to death on the day that Curtis appeared in Washington, D.C., to testify—Dec.13, 2004.

On Nov. 1, just days before the 2008 election, I was able to speak with Brad Friedman briefly, as he was extremely busy reporting on a myriad of voting problems, but graciously gave me a few minutes of his time. 

When asked about what was most surprising to him about this investigation, he answered, “What has been so enlightening is the astounding realization of the utter delinquency of the American corporate media to report on these issues, democracy—the fundamental right to protect all others.”

Friedman commented on the shocking lack of appropriate response from the Democratic Party which as he puts it, is “snoozing while Rome burns.”

Explaining her motivation for making the film, director Patty Sharaf told OpEdNews.com, “Working the news business as a techie has taught me first hand some of the most important stories never make air. I thought I could put Curtis in touch with news people who would want to hear his story. While they wanted to know about it initially, nobody would report on it. Seeing that this was one of those stories falling through the cracks, I felt obligated to film the next meeting between Brad and Clint, which took place in Nashville.”

Because of the steadfast dedication to telling the truth by Curtis, Friedman, and Sharaf—the rest is now history. 


Murder Spies and Voting Lies is a 55-minute documentary that can be viewed online at http://www.linktv.org/programs/special_murder.