Fundraiser Who Bankrolled Obama, Hillary and Others Sentenced to 12 Years for ‘Serious Offenses’
Top fundraiser was sentenced to 12 years in prison
Imaad Zuberi will spend 12 years in jail for funneling foreign money into US political campaigns and snatching millions of dollars for himself. The California businessman was the top fundraiser for both Democratic and Republican campaigns.
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The Los Angeles Times reported that Imaad Zuberi’s donations granted him access to elected officials. His list includes presidents, vice presidents, and congressional leaders.
“To open doors, I have to donate,” he told The New York Times in 2019. “It’s just a fact of life.”
The same report reveals that the businessman used the name of his dead mother to disguise fundraising plans and avoid US police.
Zuberi cheated on his foreign clients and evaded taxes.
“All of these are serious offenses,” U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips said at his hearing.
The LA judge fined Zuberi $1.75 million. He will have to pay $15.7 million to the US government for unpaid taxes, interests, and penalties.
“Obviously, I have no one else to blame but myself for this conduct,” Zuberi told Phillips.
“I’m deeply sorry, and of course I’m humiliated as I stand in front of you.”
Zuberi made over $950,000 in unlawful donations from undisclosed foreign donors to former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, late Sen. John McCain, and other political names.
Zuberi donated to failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016. He then pivoted to supporting Republicans following Donald Trump’s election. The businessman admitted in June that his donation to Trump’s inaugural fund was his way of gaining access to inaugural events. He talked business, but his plans failed “after his donation was cited in a subpoena.”
Assistant US Attorney Daniel O’Brien revealed that the businessman was “purely a mercenary, funneling money to whomever he believed would do his bidding,” in a November court filing.
In 2016, Zuberi evolved from attending Hillary’s election night party in NYC to becoming co-chair of the Trump Presidential Inauguration Committee.
Zuberi and his company received %5.65 million in unlawful money from Sri Lanka.
“Mr. Zuberi flouted federal laws that restrict foreign influences upon our government and prohibit injecting foreign money into our political campaigns. He enriched himself by defrauding his clients and evading the payment of taxes,” Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison for the Central District of California said in a Thursday news release from the Department of Justice.
“Today’s sentence, which also accounts for Mr. Zuberi’s attempt to obstruct an investigation into his felonious conduct, underscores the importance of our ongoing efforts to maintain transparency in U.S. elections and policy-making processes.”
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Source: The New York Times
