Lake Forest Businessman Is Top Donor To Pro-Roy Moore PAC

LAKE FOREST, IL — A Lake Forest businessman has been identified as the largest donor to a political action committee airing ads for Roy Moore, the Republican candidate in the upcoming special election to represent Alabama in the U.S. Senate. Richard Uihlein, CEO of the Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin-based shipping and packaging supply company Uline Corp., twice cut checks to Proven Conservative PAC.

The first of the two $50,000 donations was made on Sept. 8, before Moore defeated Sen. Luther Strange in a Republican primary. The second was reported on Nov. 22, after the decades-old allegations about the former Alabama Chief Judged surfaced publicly, according to Federal Election Commission filings first reported by The Daily Beast.

Proven Conservative, a Laverne, Alabama-based group, is running ads in support of Moore and against his opponent amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment by at least seven women.

In addition to their first-hand accounts, police were told to keep him away from cheerleaders, and Moore was reportedly banned from a local mall for accosting teenage girls. At the time, he was in his 30's and working as a county prosecutor.

Uihlein and his wife, who founded Uline in their basement in 1980, donated more than $26 million to various political groups and campaigns during last year's federal election cycle. He has also been a significant conservative donor at the state level.

In the past five years, Uihlein has given more than $16 million to candidates and committees in Illinois, the majority of it going to radio host and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft and his Liberty Principles PAC.

Uihlein has also donated to the campaign fund of Gov. Bruce Rauner to the tune of more than $2.6 million, according to state election records.

Alabama's special election for Senate is set for Dec. 12.

More: VIDEO: Roy Moore Says Accusations Are 'Malicious'

_{Top photo: Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at a rally, Sept. 27, 2017 in Fairhope, Ala. | Brynn Anderson, File | Associated Press}