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Political abuser Tom Devore re-enters a fragile Illinois Republican Party
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Political abuser Tom Devore re-enters a fragile Illinois Republican Party

With Val Ojeda and Aaron Del Mar canceled in Republican circles, Tom Devore steps up as Richard Porter's next key ally.

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Max Rice
Dec 13, 2024
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Political abuser Tom Devore re-enters a fragile Illinois Republican Party
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After activist Val Ojeda threatened to kill a woman, is Richard Porter’s self-described “partner in crime,” Tom Devore, even worse?

Tom Devore with Former Kirkland Ellis Lawyer and Illinois RNC Committeeman Richard Porter.

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In class action lawsuits, plaintiffs usually do not pay out of pocket.

The larger the class, the more significant the payout, incentivizing law firms to make it easy for people to join.

However, the soon-to-be-disciplined attorney Tom Devore amassed a fortune by charging Illinois residents out of pocket fees to join politically marketed class action lawsuits. Unlike most lawyers, Devore did not necessarily care about winning the lawsuits.

Devore publicly stated. "If they think that any of this is going on is about winning or losing lawsuits, the people that say that need to consider if they're as intelligent as they think they are." Devore continued, "This isn't about winning lawsuits."

Unburdened by the pressures of winning lawsuits, Devore made millions.

Devore builds his class action lawsuits around hot-button political issues that many, including this publication, care about, such as COVID mandates or gun bans.

Less than one-third of Americans are lawyers, so it is easy to understand why someone would earnestly spend a couple hundred dollars to join a class action lawsuit they believe would make a difference.

While two hundred dollars may seem small for some, if you have over 7,000 clients, that would be 1.4 million dollars.

Some typical costs to join a Tom Devore politically marketed class action lawsuit

However, lawyers and, eventually, local media would spotlight Devore's lawsuits as poorly executed and often thrown out.

One of many capitalfax.com articles on Tom Devore

Tom Devore told the media that his goal is to "protect people," but one has to wonder if making millions trumped the needs of his clients.

Facebook / Thomas Devore typical ad

Facebook / Thomas Devore

One plaintiff that Devore claimed to be protecting was a married twenty-five-year-old mother who became successful enough to start her own beauty salon after years in the hair care industry.

During the COVID pandemic, the salon owner paid Devore 350 dollars to help draft letters to send to government officials to keep her salon open.

Tom Devore helped the young business owner with other legal matters and included her in one of his most famous unsuccessful lawsuits against masking in Sangamon County..

Devore was over fifty when he engaged in a romantic relationship with the twenty-five-year-old business owner. The fact that the relationship started after she became a client went against American Bar Association standards.

Further complicating lawyer ethics, Tom Devore would enter into a business agreement with the now twenty-six-year-old salon owner.

The young Mother aspired to expand nationally into hair care products and invested thousands into promotion.

Tom Devore complained the brand was “foo foo” but still expressed interest in taking half of the company's equity in exchange for helping with the finances.

In violation of Illinois Lawyer standards, Tom Devore did not tell his young business partner, girlfriend, and client to seek independent counsel to review the business agreement he drafted.

Court records give the following account:

"When they were at the bank to sign the agreement, she (the young salon owner) asked if it could be read to her, and Mr. DeVore responded by swearing at her, telling her to "shut up," and directing her to sign the agreement. She said that she was mortified and embarrassed by Mr. DeVore's treatment of her, and she went ahead and signed the agreement without reading it. She said that she trusted Mr. DeVore because he was a lawyer."

Tom Devore did not have to invest his money to earn half of the equity in the hair care business, but he promised to help get a bank loan.

In August 2021, Devore helped secure a $250,000 business loan from Bradford Bank, which grew to $601,829 with a maturity date of June 2023.

During this period, Tom Devore began his campaign for attorney general, and Bradford was the bank for his campaign committee.

Statewide races provide millions of dollars in “earned media” opportunities and increased attention from the public.

While many candidates use the increased attention of statewide races to highlight issues or share their vision, Devore has used his platform to promote his flat-fee class action lawsuits and hair care products, a clear misuse of his political influence for personal gain.

Tom Devore often told his political fans to support his girlfriend's haircair company.

In the several posts that Devore made to advertise the brand, he did not mention that he owned half of the company.

In February, when Devore competed against a well-funded primary opponent, he attended a haircare influencer party.

In October, when candidates told people to vote early, Devore told his supporters to buy his Detangler and hair extensions.

Ryan Cunningham, who spread the digital message for the hair care line, was also the campaign manager and in charge of shaping Devore’s political message.

Cunningham, through Rival Strategies, collected 55 thousand from the Devore campaign, and it is unclear if the shampoo company also paid him directly or if campaign duties and shampoo duties merged.

Tom Devore’s Campaign finance information

In August of 2022, Devore would loan his campaign $250,001

Devore’s donation was controversial as it triggered a campaign finance law lifting caps on donations and giving Democrats access to mega-donors who could tap into their significant money connections.

Chicago Tribune’s coverage of Tom Devore’s Controversial campaign loan

Fortunately for Devore, he quickly gave himself $240,000 from the campaign out of the perceived $278,501.00 he put into his losing attorney general campaign.

Facebook / Thomas Devore. Mark Vargas (L) and Scott Kaspar (R) owners of Illinois Review. Illinois Review has given Devore favorable coverage.

Police body cam footage at the Sangamon County Lincoln Day dinner exposed cracks in Devore's relationship with his now twenty-seven-year-old client and business partner.

WARNING LANGUAGE Facebook/ Thomas Devore not shy about alcohol

After a night of partying with Gary Rabine and Aaron Del Mar for the governor's campaign, according to police footage, The young Mother was understandably perturbed at Devore drinking alcohol around teenagers. In the police body footage, the young business owner recalls Devore's closeness to his seventeen-year-old staffer spurred a fight.

Tom Devore with various under age campaign workers

The young mother admitted to tossing her cell phone in frustration.

Unbeknownst to her, Devore called the police on his much smaller business partner and girlfriend.

Perhaps to demonstrate his power, Devore allegedly threw the young Mother's cell phone out of a car window, breaking the thousand-dollar phone.

Screen shot from the police body cam footage

The police on the scene would ultimately side with the young Mother, establishing that she had a place to stay away from Devore. The police then escorted the twenty-seven-year-old to retrieve her items from Devore's hotel room. Devore was in his stripped underwear and a shirt that read "grifter nation." He obliged the officers' requests.

Screen Shot of Police Body Cam footage of Tom Devore Domestic matter

Although the young Mother was able to leave the relationship, Devore still had a favorable business contract, which gave him a vital tool to exert financial and emotional pressure on his business relationship with his ex-girlfriend.

Devore, who garnered a large following on social media during his attorney general race, used his platforms to take subtle digs at his now ex-girlfriend..

Devore, who was famous for class action lawsuits, press releases, and promotion, begged for sympathy from his social media followers that he was dating a narcissist.

Devore is in his fifties and then posts gym selfies and comments about his looks, raising the possibility that it was probably himself who was narcissistic.

Facebook / Thomas Devore

Tom Devore did offer his ex girlfriend buyout deals for the company she created but Judge Gorman claims Devore "acknowledged conditioning his offers on the Debtor signing a non-disparagement agreement, ".

After Devore could not successfully buy the silence of his young business partner, he weaponized the courts for an order of protection against "defamatory public comments" that caused Devore "emotional distress.

The young Mother had only a few hundred followers on Twitter, but the claims she made and later deleted were damning. The young Mother posted and deleted on Twitter claims that Devore pressured and paid a woman to abort his baby and that he took the weight loss drug Ozempic.

Facebook / Thomas Devore. We are not claiming Tom Devore took ozempic.

Despite being in her twenties, Tom Devore put the young Mother in a position to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Devore then bought the debt from Bradford Bank and cruelly used the debt and other legal measures to harm and get closer to his ex-girlfriend. This aggressive use of the law had financial implications and Bankruptcy Judge Gorman accosted Devore, stating.

"(Thomas Devore) attempt to shoehorn his business disputes with [Young Mother] into an action for an order of protection" violated the automatic stay in the bankruptcy and was also "highly offensive considering the problems that the [Illinois Domestic Violence Act] was enacted to combat."

Devore's aggressive abuse of the law would result in a fine and a referral to the Illinois Bard Association (the ARDC), where he is defending himself on six separate violations.

Devore's law license is in the hands of a left-leaning Illinois Bar. Winning the case may finally matter for Tom Devore.

In the meantime, an empty and fragile Illinois Republican party will still embrace Devore because of his perceived attraction. Tom Devore will speak at the McHenry County GOP event, which markets itself as an “exquisite Gourmet Buffet, champagne, and fine spirits” celebration.

The bald Devore continues to run the haircare company without its original founder and has expanded into authentic Chinese egg rolls.

Facebook / Tom Devore . Website for his egg roll company that he now owns.

Bonus dancing video

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Jan 8

That is quite the story,

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