HSU CONVICTED OF VIOLATING CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS
Disgraced Democratic donor Norman Hsu was convicted this morning of illegally funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to top-tier political candidates including then-Sen. Hillary Clinton and now-President Obama.
A Manhattan federal court jury pronounced Hsu guilty on all four counts against him after less than three hours of deliberations over two days.
Hsu, 58, did not react to the verdict.
"I think he expected it because it was quick," defense lawyer Alan Seidler said.
Seidler said the conviction was unlikely to add to the 30-year prison term Hsu faces after pleading guilty two weeks ago to running a massive $20 million Ponzi scheme.
Investors in the Ponzi scheme served as "straw donors" for his crooked campaign-finance operation, which prosecutors said ran between 2004 and 2007.
Hsu's trial revealed how he led a lavish lifestyle, including a plush Soho pad stocked with vintage wines and champagne, and hobnobbed with leading liberal pols by showering them with donations.
He was among Clinton's leading campaign "bundlers," raising nearly $1 million for her failed presidential bid, and jurors heard a voicemail message in which she gushed effusive praise for him.
She later returned about $850,000 in tainted donations.
No comments:
Post a Comment