Leonard Leo

Leonard Leo dark money empire financial structure: (1) Marble Freedom Trust received $1.6B from Barre Seid (2021), largest known political advocacy donation in US history. Seid avoided ~$400M capital gains tax. (2) CRC Advisors (Leo's for-profit, co-founded 2020 with Greg Mueller) received $102M+ from conservative nonprofits 2016-2022, with $90M from Leo-tied groups. In 2023 alone CRC brought in $33M, 80% ($26M) from Leo-affiliated orgs. (3) Leo received $400K salary from Marble Freedom Trust as trustee. (4) Federalist Society paid CRC $1.5M for 'media training' in 2022. (5) Rule of Law Trust (est. 2018) received $80M in untraceable cash. (6) Freedom and Opportunity Fund distributed $250M in 2022 including $153M to Rule of Law Trust. (7) DC AG Brian Schwalb opened investigation into self-dealing; Leo refused to cooperate.

Of 27+ organizational roles, Rule of Law Trust is the ONLY entity paying Leo compensation: 600,000 in 2023 as Trustee. He is the sole officer/director listed on Rule of Law Trust's 990. All other nonprofit board seats are uncompensated. This is structurally significant: the entity paying Leo is the one with the least oversight (single-trustee trust), while he serves as unpaid director at entities that receive funding from the network he controls through that same trust.

Leonard Leo has zero personal FEC-tracked political donations. Despite controlling the largest dark money network in US conservative politics (500M+ between 2015-2021 per CREW/Issue One analysis), Leo makes no traceable personal political contributions. All political spending flows through 501(c)(4) organizations not subject to donor disclosure requirements.

Leonard Leo organizational network map via LittleSis (entity 171815, 50 relationships): POSITIONS: Federalist Society (Exec VP/Co-Chairman), Teneo Network (Board Chairman), CRC Advisors, Ethics and Public Policy Center (Director), Catholic Information Center (Board), Consumers Research (Advisor), Catholic University, Ave Maria School of Law (Trustee), Liberty Central Inc (Co-Founder with Ginni Thomas), Catholic Association (Board). OWNERSHIP: BH Group (for-profit). SOCIAL: Charles Koch, David Koch, Harlan Crow, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Ginni Thomas (mentor relationship), Sean Fieler, Tim Busch, Robin Arkley. GENERIC: Donald Trump, Rockbridge Network, Opus Dei, Benedictine College, Hillsdale College, Will Scharf. PROFESSIONAL: Aileen Cannon (reimbursed for 6-day luxury lodge trip). INVESTIGATION: DC AG Brian Schwalb.

Leonard Leo as bridge between Rockbridge Network and Teneo Network: LittleSis confirms Leo has generic relationship with Rockbridge Network (entity 423815) AND Board Chairman position at Teneo Network (entity 436356). JD Vance is co-founder of both Rockbridge Network (with Chris Buskirk) and co-founder of Teneo Network (with Josh Hawley). Rockbridge is a political donor coordination network (150-200 members, $75M 2024 budget, tech-heavy: Thiel, Sacks, Andreessen, Luckey, Winklevoss twins). Teneo is a talent placement pipeline (under-40 professionals, 20 regional chapters). Leo attended Rockbridge April 2024 Palm Beach retreat as speaker. The two networks serve complementary functions: Rockbridge mobilizes donor capital, Teneo places personnel in institutions. Leo is the primary node connecting both to the Federalist Society judicial pipeline and his $1.6B dark money apparatus.

Treasures of History Inc (EIN 851368230) and United States Catholic Conference (EIN 461498354) share 5 overlapping officers with Leo: Frank Hanna (chairman/director), Laurence Spiteri (exec director at both), Robert Grayson (treasurer at both), Thomas McKernan, and Melinda Schumacher. This near-identical board composition suggests the two orgs function as a single Catholic heritage operation under Leo's network, with Spiteri as the shared operational manager.

Robert George (Princeton professor, natural law theorist) serves alongside Leonard Leo on at least 2 boards: Ethics and Public Policy Center (Vice Chairman) and Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (Director). George is a key intellectual validator in the Leo network, bridging the academic/legal establishment and the conservative nonprofit infrastructure.

Reclaim New York Inc (EIN 463982730) is co-directed by Leonard Leo and Rebekah Mercer (Director/Treasurer), with Jennifer Mercer as Director/Secretary. This is a direct Leo-Mercer governance overlap. Mercer is one of the largest donors to the conservative movement and co-founder of 1789 Capital. The small board (5 total) means Leo and the Mercers jointly control the entity.

Leonard Leo serves as Chairman of Teneo Network Inc (EIN 832151429), a conservative networking organization co-founded by JD Vance and Josh Hawley. Amanda Covo is CEO (280K comp). Board includes Grant Starrett, Jonathan Bunch, John Coleman, Stephen Duvernay, Hillary Waldron, and Leelle Slifer. Leo's chairmanship of Teneo connects him to the emerging generation of right-wing political talent — Teneo recruits and networks young conservatives for government and movement positions.

LittleSis documents Leonard Leo's social connections to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Samuel Alito, and Harlan Crow. Also linked socially to Charles Koch and David Koch (deceased). Leo reimbursed Judge Aileen Cannon for a six-day trip to a luxury lodge (Sept 26-Oct 1, 2021). Connected to Sean Fieler, Robin Arkley, Tim Busch, Ronald Cass, and Greg Mueller (described as friend). Leo's wife Sally Leo is also in the database.

LEONARD LEO BOARD/OFFICER POSITIONS (from 990 filings): Rule of Law Trust - Trustee (600K comp, 2023), Ethics and Public Policy Center - Board of Director (unpaid, 2024), The Becket Fund - Director (unpaid, 2024), Teneo Network Inc - Chairman (unpaid, 2023), Students for Life of America - Co-Chairman (part year, 2023), Students for Life Action - Co-Chairman (part year, 2023), National Catholic Prayer Breakfast - Director/President (unpaid, 2023), Sacred Spaces Foundation - Director/President/Treasurer (unpaid, 2023), Reclaim New York Inc - Director (unpaid, 2023-2024), Chicago Freedom Trust - Primary Trustee & Co-Trustee (unpaid, 2023-2024), Treasures of History Inc - Officer (unpaid, 2023-2024), The Leonine Forum Inc - Director (unpaid, 2024), US Catholic Conference - Director (unpaid, 2023-2024). Leo does NOT appear as officer on 85 Fund or Concord Fund 990s.

Leonard Leo holds officer/director/trustee roles at 27+ distinct entities spanning nonprofits (14), for-profit firms (3), government (1), trusts (2), religious orgs (5), educational (2). 990-confirmed roles at 13 nonprofits. Corporate registry confirms 3 FL entities. LittleSis documents 8 additional organizational positions. Roles categorize into: dark money hub (Marble Freedom Trust, Rule of Law Trust, 85 Fund, Concord Fund), political infrastructure (CRC Advisors, BH Group, Honest Elections Project, Teneo Network), Catholic network (NCPB, Catholic Information Center, Leonine Forum, Sacred Spaces Foundation, Treasures of History, International Catholic Jurists Forum, USCCB, Sovereign Military Order of Malta), legal/policy (Federalist Society, Becket Fund, EPPC, Napa Legal, Consumers Research), state policy (Reclaim New York, Chicago Freedom Trust), education (Ave Maria School of Law, Catholic University Board of Visitors), and personal (Parvenu Realty LLC).

Sacred Spaces Foundation (EIN 883748425) has only 3 officers: Leonard Leo (Director, President, Treasurer - holding all three executive roles), Andrea Picciotti (Director, Secretary), and Clare Rowan (Director). Leo controls all financial and executive functions personally. This is a minimal-oversight structure similar to Rule of Law Trust's single-trustee model.

The Leonine Forum Inc (EIN 820932756, FL corp F25000000324) is a Catholic leadership forum literally named after Leonard Leo. Registered in Florida with a DC address at 1501 K Street NW Ste 175 (the Federalist Society address). Leo is Director. Mitchell Boersma serves as Director/Chairman and is the only compensated officer (99,686). Other directors include Jose Carlos Trullols (Director/Treasurer) and Thomas Yannucci.