Lisa Wilson-Foley Explained

Lisa Wilson-Foley
Nationality:American
Citizenship:United States
Alma Mater:Ithaca College
Yale University
University of Connecticut
Occupation:Entrepreneur
Party:Republican
Spouse:Brian Foley
Children:Multiple

Lisa Wilson-Foley (born approximately 1960) is an American entrepreneur, former political candidate, and white collar criminal. She owns the rehabilitation company Allstar Therapy, the family entertainment business Blue Fox Enterprises, and the medical testing company Swallowing Diagnostics. She was a co-owner of the Hartford FoxForce from 1999-2007.

Early life and education

Wilson-Foley graduated from Farmington High School in 1977. She received a B.S. from Ithaca College in 1981, a masters in Public Health from Yale University in 1988, and a degree in Executive Managed Care Division from the University of Connecticut in 1997.[1] She received her doctorate from the University of Montana in 2013.

Business career

A serial entrepreneur she formed her first company at 29.[2] In 1997 she sold her original healthcare businesses and as a result of an agreement she was prohibited from re-entering the healthcare field for several years. This forced her to pursue investments in the entertainment field.[3] She is also involved in her husband's businesses. At the time of her conviction her personal net worth was estimated to be US$23 million, this is separate from her husband's nine figure net worth.[4] Many of her businesses are owned through her holding company LWF Holdings. Her friend Janet Peckinpaugh served as the marketing director of LWF Holdings.[5] In 2010 her campaign claimed that she directly employed 500 people and had hosted a group of 15 Kenyan entrepreneurs on a tour of Connecticut.[6]

Allstar Therapy

Allstar Therapy provides occupational, speech and physical rehabilitation in health care facilities throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Allstar Therapy was sold in 2016.[7]

Blue Fox Enterprises

In 1998 she acquired the Simsbury Bowling Center and renamed it Blue Fox Rock 'N Bowl and renovated it emphasize a family friendly atmosphere. In 1999 she acquired the Copper Hill Golf Club for $1.3m renaming it Fox Run at Copper Hill.[8] The club was sold in 2010.[9] The company recently sold three Victorian Bed and Breakfasts in Newport, RI.

Blue Fox Run Golf Course

Blue Fox Run is a 27-hole golf course owned by Wilson-Foley notable for being the first in the country to offer onsite childcare.[10] [11] In 1996 she purchased the property, then known as the Bel Compo Golf Course and having only 18 holes, for US$3.5m with her husband purchasing 55 adjoining acres.[12] She was one of the first women in the United States to own a golf course.[11] In 1997 Wilson-Foley successfully applied to rezone 15 of their acres to office park, the parcel was subsequently developed with three office buildings having been built as of 2012.[13]

Hartford FoxForce

See main article: Hartford FoxForce. In 1999 Wilson-Foley and her husband franchised the World TeamTennis team Hartford FoxForce in Hartford, Connecticut.[14] FoxForce's first drafted player was Monica Seles.[15] In 2001 the team fielded brothers Murphy Jensen and Luke Jensen.[16] Over the years the team fielded other well known players such as Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Boris Becker, and James Blake. The team played first at Hartford's 3,000 seat State Arsenal and Armory and later at a 2,500 seat outdoor stadium Wilson-Foley had built at her Blue Fox Run golf course. The Foley's shut the team down in 2007 due to a lack of corporate sponsorships.[17] Mark Foley's Connecticut Pride also used the State Arsenal and Armory as a venue from 1993–2000.[18]

Philanthropy

Before her conviction Wilson-Foley served as the vice-chair of the board at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.[19] Previously she served on the board of the Renbrook School and the American School for the Deaf.

Political campaigns

Lisa Wilson-Foley is a political protege of former Governor of Connecticut Republican and convicted felon John G. Rowland who called her "grasshopper" during his political tutelage.[4]

Lieutenant governor

In 2010, Wilson-Foley announced that she was running for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut as a Republican.[20] Wilson-Foley's campaign platform was unique, she said she would refuse the salary, car, and driver that traditionally came with the position. In addition she proposed evaluating after two years on the job whether the position of Lieutenant Governor should be abolished entirely.[21] She was the only candidate in the 2010 Connecticut gubernatorial election who ran for Lieutenant Governor without a gubernatorial running mate. She lost the election to Democrat Nancy Wyman.[22]

U.S. Congressional Run

Lisa Wilson-Foley ran for the 2012 Congressional Election in Connecticut's 5th congressional district. Her run was endorsed by a number of prominent local politicians and was considered competitive.[23] She declined public funding for her campaign[24] and instead loaned her campaign just under a million dollars. In the Republican Primary she competed against Mark Greenberg, and Justin Bernier and Andrew Roraback. She was defeated by Roraback but waged a hard-fought campaign in which she and Roraback battled fiercely while largely ignoring the other two candidates.[25] Roraback went on to be narrowly defeated by Democrat Elizabeth Esty.[26]

Investigation

Soon after her loss her campaign became the subject of state and federal investigations. At the core of the investigations was her relationship with former Governor John Rowland.[27] She had hired him to advise her campaign, but because he was a convicted felon and notoriously corrupt, she chose to pay him more than $35,000 through her husband's legitimate businesses in the hopes of avoiding negative publicity. By law, all paid campaign staff must be reported, which the Foley-Wilson campaign neglected to do. Rowland provided fraudulent invoices for services on behalf of the couple's nursing home company used as cover for the payments.[28] Prosecutors alleged that Wilson-Foley, Foley, and Rowland all engaged in a conspiracy to steal the election along with a number of unindicted co-conspirators.[29]

In addition to the charges related to Rowland's contracting she also ran afoul of a Federal Election Commission regulation regarding campaign contributions. Her campaign had failed to report a $500,000 contribution by Brian Foley, instead choosing to report it as Wilson-Foley's own contribution. This violation was discovered when her husband testified at his 2014 trial.[30]

Brian Foley used four other individuals as straw donors to make donations that in and of themselves exceeded the individual contribution limit of US$2,500. The straw donor contributions totaled more than US$30,000. These violations were especially egregious as Wilson-Foley had also served as the campaign's treasurer.[31] Foley and Wilson-Foley also used their business resources to directly support the campaign in violation of federal law. For example, members of the Apple Rehab marketing staff were unofficially assigned to the campaign and other staff members were tasked to personally lobby convention delegates to vote for Wilson-Foley.

In 2015 Wilson-Foley was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement.[32] Federal Prosecutors had requested that she spend at least ten months in prison[33] for her role in leading a "prolonged and calculated effort to defraud voters".[34]

Awards and recognitions

Personal life and family

She met her husband Brian Foley while in grad school; he was one of her professors.[2] Together they have a blended family with seven children. At the age of 40 she had a golf handicap of 21.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Meet the candidate: Lisa Wilson-Foley . rep-am.com . 24 August 2010 . Republican American . 24 April 2019.
  2. Book: Priscilla Cale . David C. Tate . Sink Or Swim: How Lessons from the Titanic Can Save Your Family Business . 2011 . ABC-CLIO . Santa Barbara, California . 9780313398346 . 140–141.
  3. Web site: H. Johnson . Paul . A PLACE TO ROCK 'N BOWL . www.courant.com . 17 February 1998 . The Hartford Courant . 10 July 2019.
  4. Web site: Leigh Cowan . Alison . Wilson-Foley given 5-month jail term . ctmirror.org . 24 March 2015 . CT Mirror . 23 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150622114535/http://ctmirror.org/2015/03/24/lisa-wilson-foley-gets-5-month-jail-term/ . 22 June 2015 . live . dmy-all .
  5. Web site: Hebert . Gregory . Blue Fox Rock'n Bowl Cuts Ribbon on Laser Tag Arena . patch.com . 20 November 2011 . Patch . 19 May 2019.
  6. Wilson-Foley . Lisa Wilson-Foley, Candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Hosts 15 Kenyan Entrepreneurs . prnewswire.com . Wilson-Foley 2010 . 24 April 2019.
  7. Web site: Lisa Wilson Foley . www.linkedin.com . Linkedin . 10 July 2019.
  8. Web site: Lemos . Phil . GOLF COURSE GETS A NEW OWNER . courant.com . 15 January 1999 . The Hartford Courant . 19 May 2019.
  9. Web site: Jensen . Tim . West Suffield Resident Breathing New Life Into Copper Hill Golf Club . patch.com . 6 May 2013 . Patch . 10 July 2019.
  10. News: Lisa Wilson-Foley - Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor . The Register Citizen . Hearst Media . 23 April 2019. 2010-08-07 .
  11. Web site: Urban . Richard . LISA WILSON-FOLEY THIS CONNECTICUT COURSE OWNER DOESN'T KID AROUND WHEN IT COMES TO CATERING TO WOMEN GOLFERS . vault.si.com . Sports Illustrated . 2 April 2020.
  12. Web site: Stowe . Stacey . AVON PAIR TO BUY BEL COMPO COURSE . courant.com . 30 September 1996 . The Hartford Courant . 30 April 2019.
  13. Web site: Sawyer . Jessie . Commission Rejects Golf Club's Proposal to Rezone Open Space Land . patch.com . 17 July 2012 . Patch . 19 May 2019.
  14. News: Bailer . Darice . Team Tennis Finds a Home in Hartford . The New York Times . 26 April 2019. 2000-07-23 .
  15. Web site: Garber . Greg . SELES FIRST MEMBER OF FOXFORCE . courant.com . 4 April 2000 . Hartford Courant . 26 April 2019.
  16. Web site: Gonzalez . Roberto . FOXFORCE PUT JENSENS TOGETHER . courant.com . 12 April 2001 . The Hartford Courant . 26 April 2019.
  17. Web site: 2000-2006 Hartford FoxForce . funwhileitlasted.net . 27 April 2019. 2014-02-16 .
  18. News: Hasty. Roy. Connecticut Pride; Lion To Be King Where Hellcats Once Ruled. April 30, 2019. Hartford Courant. August 11, 1995. Hartford, Connecticut.
  19. Web site: George . Gombassy . Watchdog News Hour: Lisa Wilson-Foley . ctwatchdog.com . CT Watchdog . 23 April 2019. 2011-05-16 .
  20. Web site: Stewart . Christine . Republican Announces For Lt. Gov. . ctnewsjunkie.com . 8 April 2010 . CT News Junkie . 23 April 2019.
  21. Web site: Cynthia Needham . Karen Lee Ziner . Healey says many states are discussing eliminating the lieutenant governor position . politifact.com . Poynter Institute . 24 April 2019.
  22. News: Barron . James . U.S. Indicts Ex-Connecticut Governor Again . The New York Times . 10 April 2014 . 27 March 2020.
  23. Web site: Two legislators endorse Wilson-Foley in the 5th . rep-am.com . 11 January 2012 . Republican American . 24 April 2019.
  24. Web site: Staff . CT Mirror . Lisa Wilson-Foley announces for lieutenant governor . ctmirror.org . 7 April 2010 . The Connecticut News Project . 24 April 2019.
  25. Web site: Rennie . Kevin . Wilson-Foley in Full Fury. Risks Blow Back With Ferocious Attack on Roraback–For Supporting Death Penalty. . dailyructions.com . Daily Runctions . 23 April 2019.
  26. Web site: Keating . Christopher . Esty Wins, Roraback Concedes After Tight Race For 5th Congressional District . courant.com . 7 November 2012 . Hartford Courant . 24 April 2019.
  27. News: Leigh Cowan . Alison . In Connecticut Ex-Governor's Trial, a Window Onto Political Strategizing . The New York Times . 23 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151001011847/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/06/nyregion/in-connecticut-john-g-rowland-ex-governors-trial-a-window-onto-political-strategizing.html . 1 October 2015 . live . dmy-all . 2014-09-05 .
  28. News: Christoffersen . John . Guilty pleas in campaign finance scheme linked to ex-Gov. John Rowland . New Haven Register . The Associated Press . 23 April 2019. 2014-03-31 .
  29. Web site: H. Mahony . Edmund . Feds Want Prison For Lisa Wilson-Foley In Rowland Case . chicagotribune.com . Chicago Tribune . 27 April 2019.
  30. Web site: RE: MUR 6566 . fec.gov . Federal Election Commission . 23 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171121055946/https://www.fec.gov/files/legal/murs/current/100487026.pdf . 21 November 2017 . live . dmy-all .
  31. Web site: THIRD GENERAL COUNSEL'S REPORT . fec.gov . Federal Election Commission . 26 April 2019.
  32. Web site: H. Mahony . Edmund . Wilson-Foley Sentenced To 5 Months In Prison . courant.com . 24 March 2015 . The Hartford Courant . 23 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170113082153/http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-lisa-wilson-foley-sentencing-20150324-story.html . 13 January 2017 . live . dmy-all .
  33. Web site: Government recommends prison for Wilson-Foley . fox61.com . 2 January 2015 . Associated Press . 23 April 2019.
  34. Web site: Leigh Cowan . Alison . Crooked Hubby's Deal May Cost Wife Jail Time . newhavenindependent.org . New Haven Independent . 27 April 2019. 2015-01-28 .