Tax subsidized data center, politicians at center of corruption case

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon Foundation,

Eight people in Morrow County a dozen miles east of Portland face civil litigation alleging they used inside knowledge of Amazon data centers as board members of a nonprofit to purchase a fiberoptic company at a third of its value so they could benefit financially, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive.

A civil complaint filed by the Oregon Department of Justice contends three former port officials, an ex-county commissioner, a former state legislator, and others serving on the board of the nonprofit Inland Development Corp., created to provide Internet services to rural areas, purchased an Inland fiberoptics subsidiary called Windwave Communications for $2.6 million, a third of its actual value of $9.5 million, knowing it served Amazon data centers, so they stood to gain financially.

The Oregonian/OregonLive delved into Morrow County dealings in 2022, prompting a three-year probe by the Department of Justice that resulted in the lawsuit.

Amazon says it has invested $39 billion in Eastern Oregon data centers since 2011. The Seattle company has received tax breaks of more than $330 million since 2017, according to the news organization.