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When not inadvertently twittering his plans to run for U.S. Senate, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff waxes philosophical in patriotic and prayerful 140-character tweets during his recent visit to Israel.
Shurtleff accompanied Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., other state officials and Utah business representatives on the trade mission last month. While there, he crossed paths with an old friend, Daniel Rona, a 67-year-old Jew who converted to Mormonism at age 9.
The relationship between Rona and Shurtleff goes back at least three decades. The two are soul brothers of sorts, both comfortable mixing religion, business and politics.
"Mark Shurtleff is a very passionate man who loves Israel, the U.S. and the law," Rona said. "That passion is part of his religion and part of his professional work -- and yes, we are kindred spirits."
A picture of the two appears on Rona's business Web site, www.israelrevealed.com, although The Tribune discovered it was digitally altered.
Rona's photographer, Don Thorpe, acknowledged that he put two photos together -- that both men were at the same function and on the same stage at the America Israel Friendship League of Utah, but none of the candid shots showed both of their faces.
Shurtleff, reached Friday afternoon, said he was unaware of the fudged photo, adding, "If they've cut and pasted something, that's just wrong."
Shurtleff said he had nothing to do with Rona's company providing the service.
Mike Sullivan, communications director for the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED), said that Rona's company is well-known and was selected to provide ground transportation without going through the state's procurement process.
Adam Walden, GOED's international trade and hosting coordinator, said that billing details were not yet available, but Sullivan had estimated the costs at $1,200 per day for three days.
Also prominent on Rona's Web page are ads for Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. Rona is one of the multi-level marketing company's leaders in Utah and he believes it plays an important role in the fight against identity theft. The company has associates and members throughout the United States and Canada.
For years, Pre-Paid Legal has contributed heavily to Shurtleff's campaign coffers. The company's founder, Harland Stonecipher, is also a personal friend of Shurtleff.
"We helped Shurtleff in his re-election bids," Rona said of the frequent $20,000 campaign donations from Prepaid's corporate headquarters. "Any company or individual can do that -- it's part of the freedom we have in the United States."
Shurtleff, who has made identity theft a top focus of his office, said he spoke at the company's 2002 convention and he boasts about its products -- for a monthly fee, people who typically can't afford to hire an attorney can access certain legal services.
"Equal access to justice is what I'm all about," Shurtleff said. "So we see eye to eye on that."
Part of Rona's role with Pre-Paid Legal is to help companies and corporations improve compliance with identity theft laws -- for a $25 monthly fee, employees can opt into the company's identity-theft shield program.
According to George Wilkinson, a Bountiful resident who has been an independent associate with Pre-Paid Legal for 10 years, the company has about 14,000 members in Utah, including Shurtleff.
He and Rona routinely provide training for insurance agents and financial advisers in the state, Wilkinson added.
Rona views the crime in a broad sense, labeling the holocaust as mass identity theft. He also considers it to be al Qaida's chief tool of terror.
"Satan doesn't really care whether it's spiritual or temporal identity," Rona said. "Identity theft is a major crime on the planet."
8/7/08 $20,000
12/12/07 $20,000
10/23/06 $20,000
4/28/05 $20,000
6/14/04 $20,000
3/2/04 $10,000
4/25/03 $20,000
Source: The Lieutenant Governor's Office Web site
