A Republican scenemaker faces fraud charges

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

For Bucks County Republicans and power brokers, the parties at Claire Risoldi's extravagant mansion near New Hope were unforgettable affairs.

Risoldi would book bands. Occasionally she brought in performers to impersonate celebrities including Frank Sinatra or Cher. The Mummers made at least one appearance. She even held her own wedding in front of a crowd that had paid for tickets to a fund-raiser for Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick.

"Claire's larger than life," said District Attorney David Heckler, a Republican who had at least one soiree thrown in his honor at Risoldi's estate, a 10-acre property known as Clairemont. "No expense was spared."

Occasionally, guests would whisper about where Risoldi got her money, since her only known job was in her daughter's law office. She often explained that she inherited a windfall from her late husband's successful tile company.

State prosecutors provided their own theory last week: rampant insurance fraud. The Attorney General's Office on Thursday charged Risoldi and several members of her family with bilking insurers out of $20 million after her mansion caught fire three times in five years.

With the proceeds, prosecutors allege, the Risoldis bought six Ferraris, two Rolls-Royces, another house, and $1.2 million worth of jewelry.

The great moments of the Republican party.