22 AUG 3309
Financial journalist Bryanna Blanco has renewed her investigation into Zachary Rackham, seeking to invalidate him from the Federal presidential race.
“Thirty years ago, the mysterious ‘Calico Zack’ gained a reputation as a notorious pirate lord. In some backwaters, tales are still told of how he personally led countless raids against cargo ships and passenger liners. Allegedly there were very few casualties in his wake, since the pirate always focused on hijacking valuables rather than causing bloodshed.”
“As Calico Zack’s wealth and influence grew, Archon Delaine viewed him as a threat and planned to go to war. This may be what prompted him abandon piracy. He laundered his ill-gotten gains via shell corporations and stock investments, reinventing himself as Federal entrepreneur Zachary Rackham.”
“Since those days – which he now claims were spent as a struggling trader – Rackham has become a trillionaire. He has absorbed companies, funded grandiose structures, and plastered his name wherever he could. Rackham Capital Investments is largely run by former pirate comrades turned businessmen, which has led to a few violent ‘resignations’ over the years.”
“Rackham’s presidential candidacy has inspired me to redouble my efforts to expose his criminal past. I cannot imagine what the Federation will become if he is elected to high office.”
The Federal Times has come under fire from Zachary Rackham’s supporters, claiming it is acting on the orders of his political rivals. An editorial in rival newsfeed Sol Today said:
“Bryanna Blanco was once a highly respected reporter, but should be facing libel charges for this kind of mudslinging. She has pursued a years-long vendetta against Rackham with very little to show for it, and her articles often recycle discredited conspiracy theories.”
A Federal Intelligence Agency spokesperson stated:
“Mr Rackham is a long-standing member of the FIA Civilian Oversight Board. There has never been any evidence that might cause us to open a criminal investigation into his activities.”