Investor who donated nearly $1M to Trump inauguration sentenced to 12 years in prison
Source: NBC News
A Federal Judge in California on Thursday sentenced a venture capitalist who donated nearly $1 million to former President Donald Trump's inaugural committee to 12 years in prison for falsifying records to hide his work as a foreign agent while lobbying high-level U.S. officials.
Imaad Zuberi was also fined $1.75 million and ordered to pay $15.7 million in restitution.
Zuberi, 50, agreed to plead guilty in 2019 to tax evasion, filing false foreign agent registration records and providing almost $1 million in illegal campaign contributions to various presidential election campaigns and other candidates for elected office, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
He previously donated to a host of Republican and Democratic politicians, including former Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton in 2015, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in 2014, then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris in 2015, and former President Barack Obama's presidential re-election campaign in 2011.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/investor-who-donated-nearly-dollar1m-to-trump-inauguration-sentenced-to-12-years-in-prison/ar-BB1dO9QY?li=BBnb7Kz
Stuart G
(38,436 posts)RainCaster
(10,884 posts)MF - er
bucolic_frolic
(43,182 posts)Marie Marie
(9,999 posts)ancianita
(36,095 posts)That guy was a hot mess. I hope there aren't more like him out there.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-18/zuberi-fundraiser-trump-obama-sentenced-prison
Hekate
(90,714 posts)Donations to Republicans and Democrats both That way, no matter who wins, theyve got friends in high places.
ancianita
(36,095 posts)Of course we believe that Republicans don't want democracy, that they reflect their donors, but this shows that the monied domestic and foreign donors truly, seriously don't want it, either.
This ruling is a good legal precedent for whatever campaign finance law we come up with, especially if it involves super PACs and dark money. More importantly, imo, we'd better do it (among a hundred other cleanups) before 2024 if not 2022.
I'm sick of this war, and how most voters act so blinded by media hype and political theater, that they don't even see it. Sure, it's hard enough to see when we're actually looking for the players behind the scenes, but this case shows why none of us can be too paranoid about the motives of campaign funders.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,174 posts)It is not in their best interests to inform the pubic on that issue. They are a disservice to the public by what they omit, as much as they cover.
The big media players don't like too open a democracy either.
In a true democracy, the news media would never be allowed to be a for profit enterprise. It should not be allowed to be set up like a typical business with public shareholders. But run like a non-profit, where reporters and other workers would still be paid good wages, through ad revenue, but with no ties to any large monopolies.
When you think about it its pretty bizzare in a way. Having a democracy, with an antidemocratic "free" press.
ancianita
(36,095 posts)It's not in their owners' interests for their media to tell us the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Bizarre to us, yes. Just business to them.
Turbineguy
(37,343 posts)DanieRains
(4,619 posts)Gotta get some more dark going next time, next corruptor.
Indykatie
(3,697 posts)olddad65
(599 posts)Or maybe they can someday share a cell.
raccoon
(31,111 posts)Firestorm49
(4,035 posts)rpannier
(24,330 posts)His pardon left with him
CaptYossarian
(6,448 posts)Trump should have issued pardons like a priest launches holy water from his leaky sceptor.
He could put Lindsay in charge of those "little crackers".
rocktivity
(44,576 posts)for a pardon...
rocktivity
BlueWavePsych
(2,635 posts)msfiddlestix
(7,282 posts)Venture Capitalist? (I actually first read it as Vulture Capitalist) But for which firm, which company, or just himself?
And Foreign Agent. Which Country?
muriel_volestrangler
(101,321 posts)It mentions Bahraini officials, and the Ukrainian oligarch Firtash.
msfiddlestix
(7,282 posts)Do I have to click on the link to find that?