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Business Insider: “[Moreno’s Campaign] Deploy[s] A Gadget That Appears To Emit An Ultrasonic Frequency That Drowns Out Audio Recording Devices With A Strange Noise.”

Columbus, OH – New reporting from Business Insider today exposes that Bernie Moreno has “a desire to hinder” Ohioans from hearing what he is saying and has purchased an anti-recording device – resembling a device “available online for roughly $400” – to “make it much more difficult to capture his words.” Moreno’s use of the device follows him “land[ing] himself in hot water” after he was caught “mocking” Ohio women and calling them “a little crazy” for wanting to make their own health care decisions.

Business Insider: Ohio GOP candidate in key Senate race uses anti-recording tech to combat ‘trackers’
Bryan Metzger
October 25, 2024

• [Bernie Moreno’s] invited event attendees to record him — and recently landed himself in hot water as a result. Now, his campaign is deploying anti-recording technology against “trackers” who try to record him.

• [Moreno] explicitly invited attendees at his events to record him.

• “You know my rules: Nothing’s off limits,” Moreno said at a town hall event in Warren, Ohio in late September, according to a video seen by BI. “If you want to tape record, videotape anything I say, you’re welcome to do that.“

• But Moreno’s campaign has recently begun taking an unusual step to make it much more difficult to capture his words, deploying a gadget that appears to emit an ultrasonic frequency that drowns out audio recording devices with a strange noise.

• In videos and audio recordings provided to Business Insider by the Ohio Democratic Party, staffers for the GOP candidate can be seen holding the device…

• It’s unclear exactly which device the Moreno campaign is using, but it resembles a “Microphone Jammer” available online for roughly $400.

• The campaign’s use of the anti-recording device comes after Moreno was surreptitiously recorded at that same town hall in Warren making comments seen as dismissive of suburban women who prioritize abortion when voting.

• “You know, the left has a lot of single-issue voters,” Moreno said at the event. “Sadly, by the way, there’s a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women that are like, ‘Listen, abortion is it. If I can’t have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.’ … OK. It’s a little crazy by the way, but — especially for women that are like past 50, I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s an issue for you.'”

• Brown has seized on those comments in the weeks since, casting the former car dealer as unsympathetic toward women in a race where abortion looms large. Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley even weighed in, writing on X: “Are you trying to lose the election?”

• But by using technology to prevent recording at his events, Moreno has taken a more aggressive posture toward trackers than other candidates typically do, suggesting a desire to hinder his opponents’ ability to record his statements.

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Columbus, OH – For years, Bernie Moreno faced a “slew of lawsuits for workers’ wages and workplace discrimination.” His record of refusing to pay his workers what they had earned and deliberately shredding evidence to get out of paying his employees makes it clear that he only looks out for himself. 

For Years, Bernie Moreno Faced Lawsuit After Lawsuit: 

In 2014, Moreno was sued for “stiff[ing] [a former employee] out of money that Moreno personally promised him.” After the employee spoke out, Moreno “retaliated by firing him” and “improperly altered” the termination form after it had been signed to try to get away with it.

In 2014, Moreno “refused to pay” an Ohio contractor over $300,000 and “forc[ed] the construction firm to file a legal claim” to make Moreno pay them what they were owed.

In 2015, Moreno was sued by a “longtime friend and business associate” because Moreno “did not want to pay him” what he was owed.

From 2015 and 2017, Moreno faced race, gender, and age discrimination lawsuits – in one instance for telling a woman who worked for him to “put your kids in f***ing daycare” after “she asked about flexibility in her work schedule.”

In 2017, Moreno was sued by a former employee who “alleg[ed] that Moreno had failed to pay him for overtime hours worked.” 

In late 2020, Moreno deliberately shredded evidence he was legally required to keep to get out of paying his workers the overtime wages they’d earned.

By 2023, Moreno was found liable for wage theft by a jury – forcing Moreno to pay over $400,000 to his employees and settle over a dozen similar wage theft cases. 

Read More About Bernie Moreno’s Record Of Screwing Workers And Mistreating Employees:

• Business Insider: Trump-backed Ohio Senate candidate shredded documents as he faced a lawsuit accusing him of wage theft

• Spectrum News: Bernie Moreno’s business record takes center stage in Senate bid

• Spectrum News: Senate candidate Bernie Moreno sold SUVs made in China for years, but tells Ohio voters he refused to do so

• WKYC: No, Bernie Moreno’s claims that Massachusetts courts overturned federal law in wage theft lawsuits and made rulings retroactive are not true: VERIFY

• WKYC: How many times was Ohio US Senate candidate Bernie Moreno sued during his business career? VERIFY

• Cleveland.com: Bernie Moreno got sued by an employee who said he didn’t get paid what he was promised. Here’s what happened.

• Mother Jones: Bernie Moreno Owed a Contractor $300K—Then Ignored Legal Rulings to Promptly Pay Up

• Mother Jones: A GOP Senate Candidate Blames “Liberal” Judges for His Labor Violations. Just One Problem With That. The Judges Were Largely Appointed By Republicans.

• The Daily Beast: This GOP Senate Hopeful Bernie Moreno’s Self-Made Story Has a Darker Side

• Mahoning Matters: Mahoning, Trumbull union members discuss Bernie Moreno’s anti-worker allegations

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Heartland Signal: Bernie Moreno’s Company Used Employees, Former Associates To Pose For ‘Customer Testimonials’

Columbus, OH – New reporting from Heartland Signal today revealed that as a car salesman, Bernie Moreno promoted multiple customer testimonials that featured “current and former employees,” including a customer testimonial promoting the Chinese-made Buick Envision that was actually “a sales representative and had never actually purchased a car from the dealership.” 

Moreno has faced backlash from workers across Ohio for repeatedly lying about selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision which contributed to “Ohio jobs being shipped overseas.” 

Heartland Signal: Bernie Moreno’s company used employees, former associates to pose for ‘customer testimonials’
Zach Shaw
October 23, 2024

• Bernie Moreno, the Republican nominee for Senate in Ohio, is facing scrutiny regarding his career as a luxury car salesman. Multiple testimonials featured prominently throughout Moreno’s websites are provided by current and former employees, as discovered in a Heartland Signal review of Moreno’s businesses.

• These testimonials, both videos and written reviews that praise the customer service and convenience of Moreno’s dealerships, have raised concerns about transparency and the authenticity of those endorsements.

• In an October 2017 testimonial, real estate agent Sabah Hamed praised Infiniti of Akron… Hamed’s public LinkedIn page shows that between March 2015 and August 2016, she worked as the director of administration for Bernie Moreno Companies.

• Another customer, Garrett Blaha, praised the service at Moreno’s Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted in a testimonial from 2018 posted on the Bernie Moreno Companies YouTube page. He introduces himself as “a customer at Mercedes-Benz for about 10 years.”

• However, Blaha was a former sales consultant at one of Moreno’s Mercedes-Benz dealerships… In a 2012 Cars.com review of the dealership, Blaha is mentioned as personally selling a car to the reviewer.

• Josh Halpern, a first-year associate at a Cleveland law firm, shared his positive experience with Moreno’s dealerships in an August 2021 testimonial for the Mercedes-Benz dealership.

• He also mentioned the personalized relationships he’s built with the dealership, adding that everyone there knows him by name. Yet, the testimonial does not mention Halpern was a former sales intern at Infiniti of Beachwood…

• An additional review from December 2016 shows an alleged customer named Marlon Redmond. He says that while he was working security for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Moreno personally sold him a Mercedes CLS. Marlon was later hired at Moreno’s North Olmsted dealership and was even featured in a Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted video as a brand consultant.

• In another review from December 2016, one individual, whom Heartland Signal has decided to leave anonymous, praised Moreno’s Buick and GMC dealership in Beachwood for delivering a Buick Envision directly to their workplace and even programming her garage door to the vehicle.

• However, despite their glowing review, the customer later admitted that they were a sales representative and had never actually purchased a car from the dealership, according to documents provided to Heartland Signal.

• Moreno has also repeatedly denied selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision, even though multiple dealerships have sold the model for years.

• Moreno’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the questionable testimonials.

• With several of the testimonials coming from individuals with direct or indirect ties to Bernie Moreno Companies, concerns remain about the transparency of the reviews and the ethics of using such testimonials to promote his dealerships. He has faced scrutiny for the more than 50 lawsuits he faced, for refusing to pay his employees overtime and for false statements about his record selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision.

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Columbus, OH – In a recent radio interview, Bernie Moreno lied to Ohioans again about the lawsuit after lawsuit he faced for mistreating his employees. Moreno has already faced scrutiny for making multiple false claims about the “at least 50” lawsuits he’s faced – including a dozen lawsuits for refusing to pay his employees what they were owed and a case in which he deliberately destroyed evidence he was legally required to keep to get out of paying them.

Bernie Moreno Lied To Ohioans About His Record Of Mistreating Workers AGAIN:

MORENO: “And then the Massachusetts Supreme Court said [a commissioned salesperson should be entitled to overtime]… But they made the ruling retroactive.” [3:45, 10/21/24]

INTERVIEWER: “… the Massachusetts Supreme Court decided years after lawsuits were filed, you had to go back in time and pay your employees for overtime that everyone assumed in the car business, that you work on commissions. And that’s the essence of that case?” [4:30, 10/21/24]

MORENO: “Yeah, exactly.” [4:45, 10/21/24]

Read The Truth About Moreno’s Record Of Stiffing Employees And Screwing Workers:

• Business Insider: Trump-backed Ohio Senate candidate shredded documents as he faced a lawsuit accusing him of wage theft

• WKYC: No, Bernie Moreno’s claims that Massachusetts courts overturned federal law in wage theft lawsuits and made rulings retroactive are not true: VERIFY

• WKYC: How many times was Ohio US Senate candidate Bernie Moreno sued during his business career? VERIFY

• Cleveland.com: Bernie Moreno got sued by an employee who said he didn’t get paid what he was promised. Here’s what happened.

• Mother Jones: Bernie Moreno Owed a Contractor $300K—Then Ignored Legal Rulings to Promptly Pay Up

• Mother Jones: A GOP Senate Candidate Blames “Liberal” Judges for His Labor Violations. Just One Problem With That. The Judges Were Largely Appointed By Republicans.

• The Daily Beast: This GOP Senate Hopeful Bernie Moreno’s Self-Made Story Has a Darker Side

• Mahoning Matters: Mahoning, Trumbull union members discuss Bernie Moreno’s anti-worker allegations

• Spectrum News: Bernie Moreno’s business record takes center stage in Senate bid

• Spectrum News: Senate candidate Bernie Moreno sold SUVs made in China for years, but tells Ohio voters he refused to do so

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Columbus, OH – With 14 days until Election Day, Ohioans know that Bernie Moreno’s campaign has been “clouded” by a “slew of lawsuits for workers’ wages and workplace discrimination” and telling “lie after lie” to Ohio workers. 

From refusing to pay his employees what they were owed and deliberately destroying evidence to get out of it to lying about selling Chinese-made cars that Ohio workers say “shipped Ohio jobs overseas,” Bernie Moreno has shown Ohio workers he won’t fight for them.

14 Things Ohio Workers Are Saying About Moreno’s Record Of Stiffing Employees And Screwing Workers: 

1. Tim Burga, Ohio AFL-CIO president: “With working people your word is your bond… Moreno has proven he can’t be trusted.”

2. Dave Green, Former President of Local 1112 in Lordstown: “We need somebody in office that’s going to earn the support of working people… not a car salesman who continues to lie about what he’s doing and how he’s doing it.”

3. Tony Totty, UAW Local 14 President: “Bernie Moreno was sued for stealing wages from workers. How can you be pro-worker when you’re stiffing them in their paycheck?”

4. Jeff Adams, UAW Local 1219 President: “If [Moreno] was really for the people, people wouldn’t have to sue him to get their overtime pay… If he didn’t pay his employees, how is he going to care about the American people[?]”

5. Mary Ola Stemple, Former Lordstown GM Employee: “Bernie Moreno is not standing up for people like me, he is too busy putting himself and his profits first. Moreno’s business decisions hurt Mahoning Valley workers and families, and he has proved he will not fight for us.”

6. Jose Arroyo, Vice President Of The Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO Labor Council: “Bernie Moreno has shown Ohio workers over and over that he does not care about anyone besides himself. He lied to us about selling cars made in China at the expense of Ohio workers and lied to us about not paying his employees the overtime wages they earned. It is clear that Bernie Moreno is not on our side and that we can’t trust him.”

7. Jim Devlin, UAW Local 1112 Vice President and Former Lordstown GM worker: “I know that Ohioans need a Senator who will fight to keep our jobs here – not one who made his fortune selling cars manufactured in China, because decisions like that led to Lordstown closing and Ohio jobs being shipped overseas.”

8. George Jeffries, UAW Lima-Troy Cap Council Chairperson: “He stole from his own workers, and he steals from people that he might see every day. What’s going to keep him representing us 14 million Ohioans, whom he never expects to meet?”

9. Tiffany McKee, United Steelworkers: “Well as a staff representative, I fight against exactly what Bernie Moreno is every single day, against people that want to take advantage of our workers.”

10. Brett McElfresh, Pipefitter: “We don’t need someone trying to steal wages from U.S. workers anymore.”

11. Frank Papini, President of USW Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees: “We don’t agree with what Bernie Moreno is doing. I think [he is] a fraud, he’s caused a lot of problems with workers…”

12. Mel Woods, UMWA Local 1304 Financial Secretary: “…Moreno is nothing but a liar.”

13. Dave Dilly, UMWA Ohio Coal Miners Political Action Coordinator: “He was a car salesman and it’s my understanding that he screwed over some of his employees.”

14. Jeff Gase, UAW Region 2B Central Ohio CAP Council Chairperson: “[Moreno’s] just a big fat cat. He wants all the profits. He wants the money. Wants it for himself.” 

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