{news} Polling firm officeradmits faking data

[clifford thornton]

            <http://www.connpost.com/news> 

           
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                        Article created: 09/20/2006 04:43:26 AM EDT 

                  Polling firm officeradmits faking data
                        MICHAEL P. MAYKO mmayko at ctpost.com<mailto:mmayko at ctpost.com> 

                 
                 
                  BRIDGEPORT - The manager of a polling firm admitted Tuesday that he participated in falsifying data and results on at least three surveys in order to meet deadlines for the company's clients, which ranged from President Bush to Mayor John M. Fabrizi's campaigns. 
                  Darryl Hilton, 42, of Hamden, became the second principal of DataUSA to plead guilty to participating in a federal wire fraud conspiracy. Earlier this month, Tracy Costin, 46, of Madison, the owner of DataUSA, now known as Viewpoint USA, pleaded guilty to the same charge. 

                  A preliminary calculation of the federal sentencing guidelines calls for Hilton to receive from 10 to 16 months in prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall on Dec. 11. 

                  Hilton is free on bond. 

                  Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang said at least four employees of DataUSA, which had offices in West Haven and Guilford, would testify that Hilton instructed them to falsify polls and surveys. The prosecutor further said he had evidence taken from DataUSA's computers that Hilton was involved in completing surveys that were unfinished. 

                  Hilton worked for the firm between October 2002 

                       
                       
                       
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                  and December 2004. 
                  Court documents disclosed that DataUSA was hired by the campaigns of President Bush, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn.; U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, and others to do polling that would be used internally by advisers. 

                  The firm's employees would telephone individuals and ask them a list of questions. 

                  When the company was up against a deadline, however, and demographic quotas involving gender, race or political affiliation had not been met, changes to those identifying factors would be made. On other occasions, the prosecution said entire surveys would be falsified. 

                  At least 10 different jobs were falsified. Prosecutors did not identify the clients of those jobs. 

                  One former employee told the FBI that about 50 percent of a survey done for Bush's campaign was falsified. 
                 
                   


           
     
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