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Julie Fancelli

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Julie Jenkins Fancelli (born 1949 or 1950) is an American heiress and conservative political donor. She is an heiress to the Publix supermarkets fortune and a member of America's thirty-ninth richest family. Fancelli's organizational efforts and donations played a decisive role in the January 6, 2021, "Stop the Steal" rally at The Ellipse that preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol. [1][2]

Early life

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Fancelli is one of seven children of George W. Jenkins, the founder of the Publix supermarket chain, and Anne MacGregor.[1][3] She attended the Mount Vernon Seminary in Washington and the University of Florida in Gainesville.[4]

Business endeavors

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Until 2017, Fancelli owned Alma Food Imports, Inc., a company that sold millions of dollars worth of products to Publix, including $1.7 million in 1996.[1][5] Publix stopped using Alma as a vendor after Fancelli's departure.[5]

From at least the late 1980s, Fancelli owned two Italian restaurants in Florida.[1] She co-owns a private golf club in Lakeland with her relatives.[1]

Political contributions

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Since the beginning of the century, Fancelli donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates and party organizations.[1]

In 2017, Fancelli met with Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to express her concern that the Republican Party had not done enough to help Trump in the 2016 presidential election.[1] Fancelli increased her donations after the election of Donald Trump.[1] Many of her donations were associated with Caroline Wren, a Trump fundraiser closely associated with the 2021 United States Capitol attack, and Kimberly Guilfoyle;[1][2][6] after a call directly from Guilfoyle in July 2020, Fancelli donated $250,000 to the Trump campaign.[7] During the 2020 election cycle, Fancelli ultimately donated more than $980,000 to a joint account serving the Trump presidential campaign and the Republican National Party.[1] After the election, LJ Management Services Inc., a company closely linked to Fancelli's family foundation, gave a further $800,000 to a new PAC formed by two of Trump's closest aides.[7]

In July 2020, Fancelli gave $1,000 to a candidate for mayor of Lakeland, who thanked One America News for "correctly" referring to Trump as the president after President Biden was inaugurated.[1] In September 2020, she gave $5,800 to Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, one of 21 House Republicans who opposed awarding the congressional gold medal to police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6.[1]

In total, Fancelli donated more than $2.5 million to political causes in 2020, with most or all of it going to right-wing and far-right candidates and causes.[1][8]

Association with the 2021 United States Capitol attack

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For broader coverage of this topic, see January 6 United States Capitol attack.

On December 29, 2020, Fancelli donated $150,000 to the nonprofit arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, the Rule of Law Defense Fund.[6][9][10] That money was subsequently used to pay for robocalls promoting the "Stop the Steal" rally at the Ellipse on January 6.[6]

Working in association with Alex Jones, the far-right American radio host, on December 29, 2020, Fancelli donated $300,000 to Women for America First to organize a "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington, D.C., on January 6.[2][11][12][13] Fancelli, who was reportedly a "regular listener" of Jones's show, had an assistant call Jones to discuss possible ways to undermine president-elect Joe Biden's victory, and Fancelli and Jones spoke directly at least once between December 27, 2020, and January 1, 2021.[1][14] Fancelli selected Caroline Wren, a Trump fundraiser, to organize the event; this was done in through Women for America First, the organization that obtained the permit for the January 6 rally at The Ellipse, while Wren was officially listed as a "VIP Advisor" on event permits.[1] The event itself featured speeches by then-President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Madison Cawthorn and others, and directly preceded the attack on the United States Capitol building.[6][15][16] The Wall Street Journal described Fancelli's donation as the "lion's share" of the funding behind the "Stop the Steal" rally, while Axios observed "It's getting harder to see how Jan. 6 would have happened without Fancelli's money."[2][17] [7] Fancelli is the largest donor to the event whose identity is publicly known.[1][9]

On December 29, 2020, Fancelli also donated $200,000 to the Tea Party Express, which used the money for advertisements on radio and social media urging supporters of President Donald Trump to attend the rally and subsequent march.[1][9]

As of December 2021, Fancelli's donations to events associated with the 2021 United States Capitol attack were revealed to be at least $650,000; the Congressional January 6 commission is still conducting further investigations.[1][14] Fancelli had reportedly planned to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally herself and had booked a room at the Willard hotel, but decided not to travel due to fears about the pandemic.[1]

On December 8, 2021, The Washington Post reported that Publix had issued a statement saying: "We are deeply troubled by Ms. Fancelli's involvement in the events that led to the tragic attack on the Capitol on January 6."[1][18] On January 31, 2021, Fancelli issued the following statement: "I am a proud conservative and have real concerns associated with election integrity, yet I would never support any violence, particularly the tragic and horrific events that unfolded on January 6."[1][2]

Private life

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Fancelli's family, including her six siblings, was ranked by Forbes as the 39th richest family in the United States, with an estimated net worth of $8.8 billion.[1] Fancelli is not currently involved with Publix's business operations.[6][7]

On December 31, 1972, Fancelli (then Julie Ansley Jenkins) married Mauro Adolfo Dino Fancelli, of Florence, Italy, in Lakeland, Florida; she met Mr. Fancelli while studying abroad.[4][1]

Fancelli maintains homes in Lakeland and Longboat Key, Florida; and Florence, her primary residence.[1] Fancelli is the president of the George Jenkins Foundation; in 2020, the foundation reported net assets of $27.7 million, and gave more than $3.3 million to charities that provide education, health care and social services to poor children and the elderly.[1] Fancelli has also been praised for her commitment to the elderly.[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Low-profile heiress who 'played a strong role' in financing Jan. 6 rally is thrust into spotlight". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Ramachandran, Shalini; Berzon, Alexandra; Ballhaus, Rebecca (February 1, 2021). "Jan. 6 Rally Funded by Top Trump Donor, Helped by Alex Jones, Organizers Say". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "George Jenkins, 88, Founder Of $9 Billion Grocery Chain". The New York Times. April 10, 1996. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Mauro Fancelli Weds Julie Ansley Jenkins". The New York Times. December 31, 1972. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Iannelli, Jerry. "Publix Heiress Dumped $171,100 Into a Pro-Trump PAC in 2019". Miami New Times. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Publix heiress, funder of Jan. 6 rally, gave $150,000 to GOP attorneys general association". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Montgomery, Ben (November 22, 2021). "Publix heiress' insurrection troubles". Axios.
  8. ^ "Publix Heiress Gave About $2.5M to Republican Groups Last Year". www.mynews13.com. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "Publix heiress faces criticism for helping finance 6 January rally". The Guardian. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  10. ^ Reinhard, Beth; Alemany, Jacqueline; Post, Josh Dawsey (December 9, 2021). "Heiress in spotlight over Jan. 6 funding". The Boston Globe.com. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  11. ^ Rutenberg, Jim; Becker, Jo; Lipton, Eric; Haberman, Maggie; Martin, Jonathan; Rosenberg, Matthew; Schmidt, Michael S. (January 31, 2021). "77 Days: Trump's Campaign to Subvert the Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  12. ^ "Publix heiress paid for Trump rally preceding Capitol riots, WSJ reports". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  13. ^ Cohen, Howard (January 31, 2020). "Publix says heiress's Trump donations don't reflect its values. Boycotts suggested anyway". Miami Herald. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Panetta, Grace. "A 72-year-old Publix heiress 'addicted' to Alex Jones and Infowars is under scrutiny for funding groups behind Jan. 6, report says". Business Insider. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  15. ^ "Here's What We Know About the Pro-Trump Rallies That Have Permits | Washingtonian (DC)". Washingtonian. January 5, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  16. ^ Forgey, Quint. "'I'm going to be in your backyard': Trump sons threaten primaries for GOP lawmakers". Politico. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  17. ^ Weber, Natalie. "Publix heiress paid for Trump rally preceding Capitol riots, WSJ reports". The Ledger. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  18. ^ "A 72-year-old Publix heiress 'addicted' to Alex Jones and Infowars is under scrutiny for funding groups behind Jan. 6, report says". uk.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  19. ^ White, Gary. "Publix heiress and philanthropist Carol Jenkins Barnett dies from Alzheimer's at 65". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  20. ^ "Philanthropist, Publix heiress Carol Jenkins Barnett dies at 65". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
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