Mike Lindell is under investigation for identity theft.

Before we get to the very specific allegations, it’s important, at least to the people at this site, to mention one thing. We have a hard time laughing at Mike Lindell. Yes, what he’s done to destroy faith in democracy is reprehensible. But that just makes his story that much harder. This was a man that – yes, had the cheesiest product and cheesy commercials with a Minnesota accent (nothing wrong with that, we have lots of readers from Minnesota, love it), but this was a man who donated tens of millions of dollars to help people suffering from addiction of the type he went through. He spent a lot of time giving people hope. (Did Trump donate tens of millions? To anything?) Yes, he was always shoving his religion front and center. So? If that’s what helped him, then that’s what helped him. Not for us to judge. He had a beautiful and inspirational story. Raise your hand if your life hasn’t been touched by addiction in family, friends, or yourself at all. Very very few.

So it just makes it that much more tragic that he threw it all away when he became addicted to a person and cause. From Reuters:

Mike Lindell, the My Pillow Inc chief executive and ally to former President Donald Trump, is under U.S. federal investigation for identity theft and for conspiring to damage a protected computer connected to a suspected voting equipment security breach in Colorado.

The new details about the focus of the investigation were confirmed on Wednesday after Lindell’s attorneys uploaded a copy of a search and seizure warrant approved by U.S. Magistrate Judge Tony Leung for Minnesota federal court on Sept. 7.

Leung approved the warrant based on probable cause that Lindell and other possible co-conspirators may have violated federal laws prohibiting identity fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and causing intentional damage a protected computer.

It is important to remember that an investigation isn’t even a charge, which isn’t even a verdict. But still. He was involved in something serious enough to investigate.

Sad story.

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[email protected], @JasonMiciak, with Nicole Hickman