I Team: Look-alike political websites

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) - South Hadley's Donald Peltier was fired from his oil delivery job at Fuel Services Monday morning, after an ABC News investigation found that he was running two websites that look like official political pages.

ABC News reporter Brian Ross discovered Peltier to be behind the websites, democraticnationalcommittee.org and republicannationalcommittee.org: two sites that people across the country have reportedly been donating money to.

At the bottom of each website is a disclaimer that the website is not connected with any federal elections and is not subject to the limits and prohibitions of the Federal Election Campaign Act.

As of Monday morning, the Democratic page has been rerouted to an anti-Brian Ross page.

The 22News I-Team spoke will Peltier's boss at Fuel Services, Stephan Chase, who said he fired his employee of seven years after he heard about the investigation.

"I don't want anyone around our organization who feels like other people's money should become theirs," Chase said.

Chase said Peltier was a good employee who was his only tractor trailer driver.

Peltier told the 22News I Team that he initially bought the domain names intending to re-sell them back to the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee, but neither ever came knocking. He said that over the years, people have sent-in about $7,000, which he has used to keep up the websites.

He told 22News that he never solicited any donations, and he hasn't done anything illegal.

South Hadley Police Lt. Steve Parentela wouldn't confirm or deny whether there is a police investigation into this matter.

This as word spreads in town what the sites are really about.

"People work hard for (their money) and people choose their candidates for a reason and support them you know and to find someone has something like this going on, it just sounds shady," said South Hadley's Melanie Beaudreau.

Peltier also said the websites are a parody that he assumed people would catch on to when they sign on.