COLORADO/WYOMING STATE LINE — Drivers entering Colorado from Wyoming on Interstate 25 are greeted by a billboard with the Venezuelan flag and the message “Venezuela Ahead, BE PREPARED!”
The advertisement is a reference to the presence of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in the Denver Metro Area.
On Tuesday, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said the gang’s presence is “small,” echoing the publicly provided assessments of law enforcement and city leaders in Aurora and Denver. Ten suspected Tren de Aragua gang members have been identified by Aurora Police and nine have been arrested, per APD.
Republican leaders in Aurora have suggested that Aurora Police and some city leaders are involved in a cover-up of the gang’s activity.
Former President Donald Trump has falsely claimed that the gang has taken over Aurora. Trump said one week ago that he would campaign in Aurora within two weeks. No visit has been announced.
The prominent billboard near the state line includes the disclosure “Paid for by Clipper Properties, LLC, Tim Mellon, Member.”
Tim Mellon is the name of the single largest donor to Trump in the 2024 election cycle, according to the nonprofit OpenSecrets, which tracks money in politics.
"Up until recent years, he really existed within the shadows, at least within in terms of the political arena," Anna Massoglia, the investigations manager for OpenSecrets, said. "Only recently, in the last few cycles has he started to pump money into elections."
Mellon has given $165 million in 2024, including $125 million to the pro-Trump Super PAC Make America Great Again Inc., per OpenSecrets.
"One of the issues with tracking Mellon's donations is that we really don't know at this point what is motivating him," Massoglia said.
The New York Times describes Mellon as a “reclusive billionaire.”
“Mellon has long avoided the publicity that typically surrounds a donor this significant,” a New York Times profile read, in part. “Few recipients of his money have even met him.”
The Times reported that Mellon’s self-published autobiography was removed from the internet in 2016 after attention was brought to passages claiming that Black people became “even more belligerent” after the expansion of social programs and that the social safety net was essentially “slavery redux.”
9NEWS has not independently confirmed that the Tim Mellon who paid for the billboard is the conservative megadonor of the same name.
The listed contact person for Clipper Properties, LLC is an attorney and former Wyoming Speaker of the House Kermit Brown.
Brown did not respond to an email requesting comment. Two calls to his office were disconnected after a 9NEWS journalist mentioned Mellon.
Mellon has a listed address nearby in Saratoga, Wyoming. A call to a listed number was not answered and there was no response to an email address associated with Mellon.
A post office box in Saratoga used by Clipper Properties in connection with a private aircraft has also been associated with Mellon.
The billboard does not trigger a campaign finance disclosure under Wyoming law because it does not advocate for a candidate or ballot issue.
Wyoming's Republican Secretary of State Chuck Gray claimed, without providing evidence, that the liberal media is demanding government action against Mellon.
"It is disturbing, but not surprising, that leftwing media outlets are demanding that government action should be taken against Tim Mellon for taking a stand and bringing awareness to the devastating effects of illegal immigration," Gray said in a statement to 9NEWS.
Gray repeatedly declined to provide evidence of his claim that media outlets are demanding government action against Mellon.
A megadonor with a penchant for privacy placing his name on a high-profile billboard would appear an odd choice, but a representative for Lamar, the outdoor advertising company that owns the billboard, said the paid-for disclosure is their own requirement.
The Lamar representative said the “Venezuela Ahead” billboard is the only one of its kind and is scheduled to remain up through the week of Election Day in November.
Lamar’s website indicates that particular billboard is expected to be seen by roughly 55,000 people per week and rents for $1,100 per month.
Forbes has estimated the Mellon family’s net worth at $14.1 billion.