Update: I had a conversation on Facebook Messenger with Shore News Network’s Phil Stilton who assures me Frank Sadeghi does NOT own Shore News Network. In fact, he told me I should stop getting intel from the owner of Rise Up Ocean County, I think he was surprised I didn’t know who owned it. Stilton assures me his relationship with Sadeghi ended on December 31, 2019. This means the difference in coverage question in the piece is moot. I stand by the campaign finance questions.

I remember not too long ago, back before we launched The Bob & Steve Show the Shore News Network was critical of former beauty contest winner Republican U.S. Senate candidate Hirsh Singh.

They ran with headlines like “Singh In Line with Murphy, PSE&G on Jersey’s $3Billion Energy Bailout” and referred to Singh as an “establishment candidate” writing, “Seth Grossman, a former Atlantic County Freeholder and staunch supporter of the political agenda of President Donald Trump defeated Republican establishment candidate Hirsh Singh.”

There has been a complete about face in the publication’s coverage of Singh even going so far as to try to make it sound like a North Jersey vs South Jersey battle to decide what Republican is going to take on US Senator Cory Booker in November. Of course, they failed to mention Singh did not win all of South Jersey, that Rik Mehta won organizational support in Salem, Gloucester, Camden and Burlington and that Camden, Gloucester and Salem hold more Republican votes than Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic.

Why the sudden turnaround?

Could it be that the new owner of Shore News Network, Frank Sadeghi, has invested at least $2,500 in Hirsh Singh according to Federal Election Commission (FEC):

I say Sadeghi contributed at least $2,500 Singh’s campaign because as you can see (above) Arya Properties, LLC is also listed on Singh’s campaign finance report filed with the FEC as contributing $2,500. Arya Properties, LLC and Sadeghi share the same address. Arya Properties, LLC, according to this published report is owned by Sadeghi.

An LLC, according to the FEC “Who can and can’t contribute”, may contribute to a candidate committee “If a single member LLC has not chosen corporate tax treatment, it may make contributions; the contributions will be attributed to the single member, not the LLC.”

But it appears Arya Properties, LLC is a partnership. According to the FEC:

Partnerships are permitted to make contributions according to special rules.

Contributions received by a candidate's authorized committees from a partnership may not exceed the limitations. In addition, a contribution from a partnership also counts proportionately against each participating partner’s own limit with respect to the same candidate

Of course, one is going to ask what evidence I have Arya Properties, LLC is a partnership. On the “About us” page of the Arya Properties, LLC website is a link to a video in which Lauren Plump states she is a partner in Arya Properties, LLC.

Ms. Plump is also listed as a principal of Morgan Engineering & Surveying on the company’s website. The other listed principal is Sadeghi.

This all leads to the question are Sadeghi’s contributions to Singh’s campaign a way to skirt the intent of campaign finance laws?

It’s a question I asked on behalf of former Assemblyman Sam Fiocchi’s congressional campaign back in 2018 after I discovered Singh to out up to $65,000 in loans without having any collateral.

Or perhaps my first guess is right and the sudden change in the way Shore News Network covers Singh is Sadeghi protecting his investment in the Singh campaign.

Either way, someone has some explaining to do.