‘Frumpy’ Bookkeeper Accused Of Bilking Democrats For Millions

To neighborhood kids, the cream- colored stucco house near Hughes Middle School was known as the site of an annual Halloween party. To neighbors in Long Beach, California, kinde Durkee’s two-bedroom ranch was notable for its chipped paint and overgrown shrubbery.

In Democratic circles, the 58-year-old bookkeeper with at least 398 bank accounts for political campaigns and nonprofit groups had a reputation for being prompt and responsive.

Neighbors and associates say there’s nothing in Durkee’s background, demeanor or lifestyle to suggest that she “masterminded a multimillion dollar fraudulent scheme,” as U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein charged in a Sept. 23 lawsuit. While Feinstein reported $5 million in cash to the Federal Election Commission as of June 30, the bank found only $662,100 on Sept. 21, according to court documents.

“She’s a warm, accessible person,” said Eric Bauman, chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, who said he’s known Durkee since the early 1990s. “At best you would describe her attire as frumpy. Drove a beat-up old car. Lived in a plain home in Long Beach. You don’t look at this person and say, ‘This person doesn’t look right.’”

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