Davis campaign, Bellevia, offers $5K reward for person revealing Corwin staffer's location

Michael Mallia is a wanted man. He's a wanted man in Western New York and a wanted man in Florida.

Mallia is the man behind the camera in a controversial video produced by the Erie County GOP in an attempt to discredit Jack Davis, a registered Republican running for congress on his self-made Tea Party line.

The Davis campaign announced today, in conjunction with David Bellavia, that veterans in Western New York are willing to pay a $5,000 bounty for a media interview with Mallia, who has allegedly been spirited away by the GOP to an undisclosed location in Florida.

Of course, no credible media organization is going to accept cash for a conducting a news interview, but a wanted poster published on wheresmallia.com was clearly created with tongue implanted in cheek.

Though, a footnote on the poster says, "This is not a joke. This is a serious offer and the reward may be collected."

From Bellavia's press release:

"Jane Corwin's legislative chief of staff is wanted by the military veterans of Western New York for disrupting our meeting last week, mocking a moment of silence for combat casualties, attacking a 78 year-old Marine, and working on a political campaign while being paid by New York State taxpayers," decorated combat veteran David Bellavia said. "Now Corwin has sent Mallia to Florida in an attempt to hide him and the unedited video from reporters, because she doesn't want the truth to come out before Election Day: her staff chief followed a Marine and called him a coward to create an incident."

The reward, apparently, could be paid to anybody who just lets a media outlet know where Mallia is, leading to a published interview.

Full press release after the jump:

(BATAVIA, NY) - The special election in New York's 26th Congressional District is now being played out in Florida. Vacationers and locals there are being asked to find Michael Mallia, the chief of staff to Jane Corwin, a candidate for Congress in New York's 26th Congressional District - and veterans in Florida have offered a $5,000 reward to anyone who finds the politico on-the-lam.

"Jane Corwin's legislative chief of staff is wanted by the military veterans of Western New York for disrupting our meeting last week, mocking a moment of silence for combat casualties, attacking a 78 year-old Marine, and working on a political campaign while being paid by New York State taxpayers," decorated combat veteran David Bellavia said. "Now Corwin has sent Mallia to Florida in an attempt to hide him and the unedited video from reporters, because she doesn't want the truth to come out before Election Day: her staff chief followed a Marine and called him a coward to create an incident."

Twenty three year old Mallia attacked Jack Davis, Corwin's Tea Party opponent, in a political dirty trick at a veterans event last week. Mallia has video of the attack that reporters in Western New York are demanding, but Corwin's campaign sent him to Florida to hide him and the video from the media. (See: http://thebatavian.com/howard-owens/questions-linger-about-second-tape-corwin-staffers-confrontation-jack-davis/25992)

To facilitate the manhunt, Bellavia also announced that Florida veterans who served with him in Iraq have launched www.WheresMallia.com, where Floridians can download a WANTED poster with recent photos of the Corwin staffer to aid in their search. WheresMallia.com sent emails over the weekend to 25,000 veterans and Tea Party activists in the Sunshine State to inform them of the search and reward. Broadcast-quality video of the poster plastered at beaches, pools and marinas on both coasts of Florida is available here: http://vimeo.com/23776422
"How does a candidate for public office send her taxpayer-funded chief of staff out to disrupt a veterans event?" Bellavia asked. "This shows Jane Corwin's lack of judgment and indicates she can't be trusted to work on behalf of veterans in Washington."

WheresMallia.com will pay the $5,000 reward to the person who finds Mallia and helps organize a media interview of the political fugitive. The bounty expires on Election Day, May 24th.