Fact Check

Jill Stein Caught Embezzling Recount Funds for Marijuana Dinner Party

An old photograph of Jill Stein was used to claim that the Green Party presidential candidate had been arrested for using "recount funds" to host a "marijuana dinner party."

Published Nov. 28, 2016

Claim:
Jill Stein was arrested and charged with embezzling money raised for 2016 recount efforts in order to throw a "marijuana dinner party."

On 27 November 2016, the web site The American Tribune published an article reporting that Green Party candidate Jill Stein had been arrested for "embezzling" money donated to her to fund a recount of 2016 general election votes:

In yet another crazy turn of events this election season, Green Party's Jill Stein was arrested following a speech in Los Angeles this Saturday. Investigators received a tip from an anonymous source that Stein had hosted a "marijuana dinner party for ... some of the richest liberals in Los Angeles."

When asked for comment, representatives for Jill Stein refused to respond. A spokesperson for the LAPD only said that they are "taking the case very seriously, and will update the public with any major announcements."

President-Elect Donald Trump was quick to call out "two-face Stein" for her "rude scheme" to "gyp the whiny liberals!" As of now, the guest list for the dinner party, which purportedly cost Stein $75,000, has not been released. It is unclear whether Stein obtained the marijuana legally or not -- chances are some legal shortcuts were taken to supply a large amount of cannabis for an event where medical licenses were not verified.

If found guilty, Stein faces fines of up to $5 Million (ironically, the amount raised for the recount), and a sentence of up to 2 years in prison.

An "About" page linked in The American Tribune's footer disclaimed:

The American Tribune provides a satirical view of current events. Our articles should be taken with a grain of salt.

Our articles are a parody of the terrible news coverage in 2016 and beyond.

A reverse image search led to a page (which has since been disabled) on the official Green Party web site, bearing the caption:

Photos from arrest [of Jill Stein] at the Conestoga Bank next to Fannie Mae August 1, 2012.

The clothing worn by Jill Stein and the image's August 2012 date matched a separate photograph documenting her arrest while protesting banking practices in Philadelphia:

jill stein marijuana dinner party

Kim LaCapria is a former writer for Snopes.