This page is a spin-off from another page
called "Which party has a 'Culture of Corruption'?" on
which a number of examples are given of shady people on the political left. The case of Yung Yuen
"Norman" Hsu deserves a page of its own.
Note:
The newest items are at the bottom of the page.
The latest: Democratic
Fundraiser Convicted in Corruption Trial. A longtime Democratic fundraiser has been convicted of
violating campaign finance laws. A Manhattan jury convicted Norman Hsu on Tuesday [5/19/2009]. The
case became an embarrassment to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other prominent Democrats.
Hsu fly, don't bother me.
A Norman Hsu update: The former Hillary fund-raiser and Democrat bundler extraordinaire pleads guilty,
guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty, and guilty to 10 counts of wire and
mail fraud.
Longtime
fundraiser linked to Hillary Clinton Norman Hsu convicted of violating campaign finance law.
Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu was convicted of campaign law violations Tuesday after a trial that featured
a voicemail from Hillary Clinton praising his tireless efforts to raise cash for her. A Manhattan Federal
Court jury convicted Hsu, 58, of reimbursing friends hundreds of thousands of dollars for contributing to his
favorite Dems, including Clinton.
Norman
Hsu, Democratic fundraiser convicted of violations. Longtime fundraiser Norman Hsu was convicted
Tuesday [5/19/2009] of violating campaign finance laws in a case that became an embarrassment to Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other prominent Democrats he courted. A jury in federal court in
Manhattan deliberated less than three hours over two days before returning the guilty verdict. Hsu,
already jailed following an earlier guilty plea, showed no reaction as he was led out of court.
Hillary's Bagman's Patron.
Hillary Clinton claims she can't recall who vouched for Chinese bagman Norman Hsu. She expects us to believe he
just showed up, dumping $850,000 in her lap.
Infamous Clinton Fundraiser Pleads Guilty
to Ponzi Scheme. Disgraced top Democratic Party fundraiser, Norman Hsu, pled guilty Thursday
[5/7/2009] to charges of running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of at least $20 million.
The government asserted that Hsu intertwined his scheme with his political activity and pressured his
investors to contribute to his favorite political candidates, including then Senator Hillary Clinton's
presidential campaign.
Norman
Hsu, Hillary Clinton fund-raiser, pleads guilty in $20M Ponzi scam. Hillary Clinton fund-raiser
Norman Hsu pleaded guilty Thursday to swindling investors out of $20 million while touting his inside
access to Democratic Party big shots. But Hsu, 58, did not admit to another charge: violating
campaign finance laws by making contributions in other people's names. Hsu's lawyer Alan Seidler said his
client wants to convince a jury he never reimbursed investors who wrote checks to his pet Democrats.
Hsu
admits ponzi scheme. Businessman Norman Hsu, a major fund-raiser for Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton's presidential campaign and other Democratic causes, pleaded guilty on Thursday to ten federal fraud
charges.
Political
bundler Norman Hsu — remember him? — admits fraud. Quick update for all
you waiters and postal workers out there who had hundreds of thousands of dollars donated to Democratic
political campaigns in your name in recent years. Your pal, Norman Hsu, pleaded guilty today in New York
to 10 counts of wire and mail fraud. Seems he was also running a Ponzi scheme that cheated
investors out of some $20 million.
Hill
Thrilled by Campaign 'Cheat'. After Hsu's illegal antics came to light, the red-faced Clinton
campaign returned $850,000 in donations he had steered her way. Hsu, 58, is accused of skirting federal
limits on individual political contributions to boost his political clout, ego — and ultimately his
own bank account.
Hillary
Fundraiser Eludes Jail for 15 Years. This is one of those stories that could only happen to a
Clinton. Norman Hsu, a prominent Democratic fundraiser who has funnelled hundreds of thousands of
dollars into Hillary Clinton's Senate campaigns and pledged to raise $100,000 for her presidential bid has
been a fugitive from justice for 15 years. In 1992, he pleaded no contest to charges of grand theft
and agreed to serve three years in jail. But something funny happened on the way to prison; he never
showed up.
Democrats Give Away
Fundraiser's Cash. Democrats began distancing themselves Wednesday [8/29/2007] from a fundraiser
who is wanted in California for failing to appear for sentencing on a 1991 grand theft charge.
Al Franken, a Senate candidate in Minnesota, Rep. Michael Honda of California and Rep. Joe Sestak of
Pennsylvania said they would divest their campaigns of donations from Norman Hsu, whose legal encounters and
links to other Democratic donors have drawn public scrutiny in the past two days.
Democrats
Turn From Big Donor Who's Fugitive. From $62,000 for Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York, to $10,000
for the Tennessee Democratic Party, the full extent of fund-raising by Norman Hsu came into focus yesterday,
as campaigns across the country began returning his money in light of revelations that he is a fugitive in a
fraud case.
The Clintons' Chop Suey
Connection. I hope you followed the news with the utmost care last week. A stupendous story
peeked into the media, grew to adulthood in no time, and vanished. The news story began with the Wall
Street Journal's report that a major donor to the Clinton presidential campaign, Hong Kong-born Norman Hsu,
appeared to have "bundled" vast amounts of money into donations to Democrats. Particularly blessed was
the Clinton presidential campaign.
More Peking Duck.
Is the Clinton campaign a target of Asian criminal groups looking for political influence?
On August 28, 1990, Hsu claimed he was kidnapped by Raymond "Shrimpboy" Chow. Who is
Chow? In December 1992, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on
Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate, released a 59-page report entitled "The New International
Criminal And Asian Organized Crime." On page 26, the document displays an organizational chart
of the San Francisco branch of the international Chinese triad, Wo Hop To. Chow's name
and mug shot identified him as the triad's enforcer.
When
Controversy Follows Cash: Sant S. Chatwal, an Indian American businessman, has
helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaigns,
even as he battled governments on two continents to escape bankruptcy and millions of dollars
in tax liens.
The curious largesse of
Norman Hsu. It is surely among the most astonishing developments of the present campaign season
that Norman Hsu, a star Democratic fundraiser, has been on the lam for 15 years after pleading no contest
to felony grand theft charges. He faced a three-year California prison sentence when he fled America.
Hsu's case raises so many disturbing questions that it is difficult to know where best to begin. But let's
start with this: Where was the U.S. Department of Justice for the past 15 years?
Bill Clinton
'shocked' Hillary donor was a fugitive. Former President Bill Clinton said he was "shocked" by
revelations that a top fundraiser for his wife is a fugitive from justice and claimed he didn't even know
what "HillRaiser" Norman Hsu did for a living.
Hillary Donor
Flees Like "Chinagate" Culprits. The tale of shady Chinese Clinton donors avoiding U.S. justice
is a familiar one that dates back to the 1996 Clinton-Gore fundraising scandal known as Chinagate. The
Clintons took millions in laundered foreign campaign donations from Chinese Communists in exchange for
liberalizing trade policy with China, dropping pending indictments against influential Chinese figures, spots
on a U.S. trade mission and overnight stays at the White House.
Hsu Fly. Norman Hsu has
skipped, following the path of so many Clinton donors with apparent foreign sources of money who are under
investigation. The question is why did the judge ever let him out on bail after he'd skipped the first
time, fifteen years ago?
Disgraced
Democratic donor arrested in Grand Junction. Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu was taken into
federal custody Thursday night at St. Mary's Hospital after he fell ill on an Amtrak train passing through
Grand Junction. FBI agents took Yung Yuen "Norman" Hsu, 56, into custody around 7 p.m. at St. Mary's
Hospital FBI, spokesman Joseph Schadler said in a statement.
What Made Norman Hsu Run?
Mr. Hsu turned himself in on that matter a week ago, after news coverage of his past — which began
with a Wall Street Journal article about his unusual campaign giving — had brought the conviction
to light and led politicians to hand over some of his campaign donations to charity. Mr. Hsu posted
a $2 million bond — and then he vanished again.
A Fugitive Political Fund-Raiser Leaves a
Shadowy Money Trail. A review of financial records for one of Mr. Hsu's companies begins to shed
light on some of his recent activities, including his dealings with a circle of campaign contributors that has
fallen under suspicion since news of Mr. Hsu's criminal past, murky business interests and unexplained riches
rocked the Democratic Party. The records show that Components Ltd., a company controlled by Mr. Hsu that
has no obvious business purpose and appears to exist only on paper, has paid a total of more than $100,000 to
at least nine people who made campaign contributions to Mrs. Clinton and others through Mr. Hsu.
Fugitive fundraiser
Hsu 'freaked out' on train, witness says. Fugitive political fundraiser Norman Hsu was behaving
erratically as he fled the Bay Area on Amtrak's California Zephyr, at one point stripping off his shirt and shoes,
before paramedics were called to take him off the train in western Colorado, passengers said Friday.
FBI
Says Hsu Still in Hospital, Date of Transfer Not Known. An FBI spokesman said this morning
he expects fugitive Democratic Party fundraiser Norman Hsu to remain in a Colorado hospital today and said
that proceedings to transfer Hsu to California won't begin until after he leaves the hospital. Special
Agent Joseph Schadler said he did not know how soon Hsu will leave the hospital or how soon transfer
proceedings will begin.
Hsu
still in good condition, awaiting release, transfer. Democratic fundraiser Yung Yuen "Norman" Hsu
remains in good condition at St. Mary's Hospital, where he awaits transfer to the Mesa County Jail later this
week. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Hsu last week after he fell ill on an
eastbound Amtrak train.
Donors in step
with Hsu. Three of the town's 6,300 residents have been caught up in a saga involving hundreds
of thousands of dollars in questionable campaign contributions to some of the biggest names in national politics.
Since 2004, three managers of a plastics manufacturing plant on the outskirts of this Northumberland County town
have given more than $270,000 to top Democrats, including Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Dianne Feinstein, and
Edward M. Kennedy.
Hsu
Steered Major Fundraiser to Obama. Before becoming a major bundler for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's
presidential campaign, disgraced Democratic donor Norman Hsu helped host a 2005 California event for Barack Obama's
political action committee and introduced the senator from Illinois to one of the biggest fundraisers for his
presidential bid.
Foreign
funny money crowd: The straw donor scheme has clear shades of the Clintons' Chinagate
scheme: Dubious givers. Con artist rainmakers. And disingenuous pleas of ignorance and shock.
While the campaign finance reform crowd ducks under the table, there is one vociferous group making noise.
Like clockwork, Asian-American groups were first out of the gate protesting public scrutiny of the foreign
donors and whining about profiling.
Clinton to Return $850,000 Raised by Hsu.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign said Monday it will return $850,000 in donations raised by
Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, who is under federal investigation for allegedly violating election laws.
Hillary's
Hsu Strings. To grasp why Norman Hsu's unlawful "fundraising" for Sen. Hillary Clinton is so
scandalous, consider this from a woman who says Hsu pressured her to give big to Clinton: "I can't stand
the woman." Democratic senator and presidential candidate Clinton is returning one of the largest amounts
of money in the history of U.S. campaigns. Roughly 260 donors associated with the Hong Kong-born Hsu, a
suspected Ponzi scheme mastermind, will get back about $850,000 in tainted donations.
Will Hillary Go Down in Corruption Scandals?
The strange story of Democratic fat cat donor Norman Hsu is rich and revealing, but it certainly isn't the only
controversy that puts the lie to the Democratic claim to have ended the culture of corruption. Other
embarrassing developments include the fine assessed to Americans Coming Together, the group backed by
Democratic donor George Soros; the New Jersey corruption scandal that has cast a wide net over state
Democrats; and Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton's legal troubles with former donor Peter Paul.
Norman Hsu: Traveling Man.
New details continue to emerge of the strange flight of fugitive political fund-raiser Norman Hsu, now in custody
in Colorado after falling ill on an Amtrak train last week.
If the Hsu Fits: I would not
expect the Clintonistas to wisen up and recognize the Clintons for the ethically insouciant couple that they
are. Yet when will the press recognize this, and when will the press get tired of being manipulated?
A Bundle of Nerves. Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton previously supported campaign-finance reform proposals that would have required
immediate and full transparency of donor names involved in bundling of political donations. But now
Clinton has ordered that none of the 200 or so individuals who bundled some $850,000 with disgraced Clinton
fundraiser Norman Hsu be disclosed to the media.
A Bundle of Trouble: Take the Paw
family of Daly City, Calif., which is headed by a mail carrier who makes $49,000 a year. Members of the
family have given almost $300,000 to politicians, including Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama, since 2004, often on or
about the same days that Mr. Hsu gave money. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether
any Hsu donors were illegally reimbursed for their contributions.
Hsu's Your Daddy. [Scroll down] The
details of many of these bundled contributions are suspicious, and have drawn a federal investigation.
For example, the Paw family, which resides in a small bungalow in Daly City, California, have donated over
$200,000 to Democrats since 2005. This is curious given that Mr. Paw is a mail carrier and
Ms. Paw is a homemaker, and the Paw house is barely worth $200,000. It is also curious because
the timing, amount, and recipients of the donations mirror those of Mr. Hsu. It is "curiouser"
because the Paw home was once owned by Mr. Hsu, who used its address.
Hsu
case figure Winkle Paw goes missing. Flip Pidot, the go-to-guy on the Hsu scandal,
notices that Winkle Paw seems to have vanished. Paw, as you may recall, is a close
business associate of Norman Hsu and fellow big-bucks contributor to Democrats.
Hsu leaves hospital for jail. A political
fund-raiser from California, who was arrested last week but had remained hospitalized in Grand Junction while
federal and state authorities worked on his extradition, was discharged from the hospital today and booked
into Mesa County's jail, authorities said.
Team
Clinton can't explain ignoring warnings on Hsu. Hillary Clinton's campaign couldn't explain
yesterday why it blew off warnings about felon-turned-fund-raiser Norman Hsu -- and the Daily News learned
FBI agents are collecting e-mail evidence in the widening scandal.
FBI looks
into disgraced donor's business. The FBI has begun examining a murky business venture run by
disgraced Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu that paid out hefty profits over the last several years to investors,
some of whom were pressed to make contributions to Hillary Rodham Clinton and other political candidates.
'60s Figure Says He
Financed Donor Hsu. Mr. Hsu himself has donated $750,000 to Democrats and Democratic parties out
of his own pocket since 2004, according to campaign-finance records. In checks no larger than $2,300
apiece — the legal limit for donations to single candidates for a primary or a general
election — Mr. Hsu also raised more than $850,000 for New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's
presidential campaign.
Couric Spends More Time on 'Alex the
Parrot' Than Hsu's Money. ABC didn't utter a word about the campaign's decision to refund the
largest amount ever, $850,000 solicited by Hsu, yet anchor Charles Gibson found time to note how the New
England Patriots broke an NFL rule by videotaping New York Jets coaches giving signals, while CBS's Katie
Couric gave Hsu barely 20 seconds — about half the time she devoted to the death of "Alex the
Parrot"….
Clinton Returns Money,
Sets Precedent. In returning $850,000 to donors associated with a disgraced fundraiser, Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton sets a significant new standard for how campaigns should respond in the face of
potential scandal. Clinton's decision also underscores the price — financial and
political — that her campaign is paying for failing to spot trouble with the fundraiser,
Norman Hsu, even after receiving a warning.
For Clintons, An
Unwelcome Echo. Talk about déjà vu. Pressed by questions about a
scandal-tarred fundraiser, a candidate named Clinton decides to return hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The politician's operation promises to conduct criminal background checks on big fundraisers in the future.
And it leaks its decisions at night after a busy day in hopes of burying the news and minimizing the damage.
Clinton
Campaign Denies Secret Service Vetting of Fugitive Donor. After pledging to return $850,000
raised by fugitive fundraiser Norman Hsu, Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign vowed this week to
do more rigorous background checks of big donors. But some law enforcement officials contend the former
first lady — or someone close to her — should have known about Hsu's fugitive status,
given the routine background checks conducted by the U.S. Secret Service on protected persons.
Hsu
thrived in 'bundling' system. When Bill Clinton received an award at a gala dinner honoring the
late Robert F. Kennedy last year, the former president expressed his thanks before an audience that included
a Nobel Prize winner and a glittering array of show business celebrities and Wall Street titans. Yet the
second sentence of his remarks expressed special gratitude to a man almost no one there had heard of: "our
friend Norman Hsu."
Read this: Caught in the Searchlight —
Hsu, Reid, and the Searchlight Leadership Fund. Fugitive fundraiser Norman Hsu's donations to
Hillary Clinton have understandably grabbed the limelight, but there is another story lurking in the shadows
of the affair. Federal Election Commission documents record that on May 17, 2007, Hsu donated
$1,000 to the Searchlight Leadership Fund, a political action committee associated with Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid.
Judge Sets Fund-Raiser
Hsu's Bail. A county judge set bail at $5 million for Norman Hsu, the shadowy Democratic
fundraiser who fled investment fraud charges in California last week after sending suicide notes to friends
and supporters. In a brief bond hearing, Mesa County Judge Bruce Raaum rejected prosecutors's request
that bail be set at $50 million, and ordered Mr. Hsu be held over for a second, extradition hearing
before a state court judge Wednesday on whether he will be sent back to California for trial on the 15-year-old
charges.
Disgraced fundraiser
Hsu's bail set at $5 million this time. Norman Hsu, the disgraced Democratic fundraiser in custody
after jumping his $2 million bail in San Mateo County last week, will be spending an additional week in a
Colorado jail — unless he comes up with another $5 million.
Hsu
Cast Wide Net For Clinton Donors. To raise $850,000 for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's
presidential campaign in just eight months, Norman Hsu tapped an eclectic group of donors that included wealthy
investors in his apparel ventures, hotel shopkeepers, a 96-year-old in a Florida retirement home and an
auto-body worker who mistakenly thought he would get a tax break for his political generosity. ... Some
donors among the nearly 100 identified this week said they never met Hsu and did not know that their donations
had been credited to his fundraising. Others had trouble explaining why they gave the funds to Clinton
or could not recall the circumstances in which they met Hsu.
Donor
Hsu projected wealth, likability. Many questions remain about Hsu's often murky career. How
could he rise to such heights, given that he had been a fugitive on a felony grand-theft charge since 1992?
Why did no one ever dig into the background of a benefactor who seemed to emerge from nowhere? Exactly where
did the hundreds of thousands of dollars that he showered on politicians come from?
Micromanager
Hillary: The Clinton campaign has insinuated that her financial aides dropped the ball in failing
to vet Hsu before taking his money. But the senator is obsessive in running her own campaign, taking
responsibility for details. Hsu for many years has been well known in New York Democratic circles ...
Nevertheless, considering Clinton administration scandals about dirty money from Asian businessmen, Democrats
are amazed that Sen. Clinton did not thoroughly investigate Hsu before accepting funds.
She
Hsu'd Have Known Better. Hillary Clinton claims ignorance over Norman Hsu's dirty money. But
she was right in the middle of a nearly identical fundraising scandal a decade ago. In fact, she was
briefed about the prior scandal by an aide who's advising her campaign today. Rewind to 1996, when
Hillary headed her husband's legal defense fund during his re-election bid.
School Tied to Bill Clinton Will
Return Gift From Hsu. Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu gave $75,000 last year to the University
of Arkansas's Clinton School of Public Service, as the financier extended his largesse beyond Sen. Hillary
Clinton's political campaigns to charities associated with her husband. Mr. Hsu, a top fund-raiser
for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign, had pledged a total of $100,000 to the Clinton School, after hearing
about it last year at the annual Clinton Global Initiative, a star-studded conference in New York run by the
William J. Clinton Foundation.
The
Corruption of Clinton's Campaign. If there is one thing the media agrees upon
it is that Hillary Clinton runs a shrewd and disciplined campaign. This mantra runs
through practically every media mention as they report the tried and true horse race story
lines. But the ongoing Norman Hsu fundraising scandal has to call into question this
basic premise.
Clinton
donor Hsu indicted in New York. The now-infamous Democratic money-man Norman Hsu was indicted today [9/20/2007]
by federal prosecutors in New York, who accused him of running a $60 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors
nationwide. Hsu is the New York businessman who bundled more than $1 million in contributions to
Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
Lawsuit may show where Hsu got his money for campaign contributions.
A New York investment group run by one of the promoters of the 1969 Woodstock festival has sued disgraced
Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu for allegedly funneling $40 million in financing for a nonexistent clothing
company into political campaign contributions and an "extravagant international lifestyle."
Democratic
Fund-Raiser Is Accused of Ponzi Scheme. Norman Hsu, the Democratic fund-raiser with a habit of
fleeing the law, confessed to FBI agents last week that he had pressured investors in what he now admits were
phony business deals to contribute to political campaigns, prosecutors said in an indictment that was unsealed
today [9/20/2007].
Official: Hsu Indicted on Fraud
Charges. Federal prosecutors plan to unseal an indictment Thursday [9/20/2007] charging
Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu with campaign finance crimes and creating a $60 million "Ponzi" scheme,
according to a law enforcement official.
Fund Firm Names Hsu
in Suit. A New York fund manager has filed a lawsuit seeking about $40 million he invested with
Norman Hsu, crimping efforts by politicians to rid themselves of the Democratic donor's money. A New
York State Supreme Court judge in Manhattan Tuesday [9/18/2007] essentially froze some of Mr. Hsu's assets
at the request of the firm that filed the suit, Source Financing Investors.
Hsu Is Accused of
Ponzi Scheme. Federal prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that Democratic fund-raiser Norman
Hsu pressured investors to make campaign contributions through him in order to raise his public profile —
then used his prominence to find more investors for illegal Ponzi schemes. The three-count complaint was
unsealed yesterday [9/20/2007] by the U.S. attorney in Manhattan. The complaint also says Mr. Hsu gave people money
to make some donations, which is illegal.
Disgraced Fund-Raiser Hsu Charged in Fraud Scheme.
A disgraced Democratic fundraiser, Norman Hsu, has been charged with concocting a $60 million "Ponzi" fraud
scheme and related federal campaign finance crimes, federal prosecutors said yesterday. Beginning in 2003,
Hsu was the managing director of two short-term financing companies that lured investors by promising high rates
of return, the prosecution's complaint said.
Lawyer says
fundraiser was questioned in hospital after suicide try. The FBI interrogated former Democratic
fundraiser Norman Hsu about campaign finance law violations and a $60 million fraud scheme as he was
recovering in a Colorado hospital bed from an apparent suicide attempt, tactics that amounted to a "legal
scandal," his lawyer said Friday [9/21/2007].
SoCal investors sue Democratic fundraiser
Norman Hsu. A Laguna Beach investment firm filed a lawsuit against Democratic fundraiser
Norman Hsu on Friday [9/21/2007], claiming he defrauded investors out of at least $23 million and
required them to donate to Democratic candidates. According to the lawsuit filed by Briar Wood
Investments, Hsu persuaded the company's operator to do business with him by taking him to star-studded
Democratic Party events. There, the 56-year-old Hong Kong native was praised by New York Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton, California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown and others, the lawsuit said.
Why the Norman Hsu Story May Hang Over Hillary and Others:
Here's why the Norman Hsu case is so alarming — for Hillary Clinton and other presidential candidates, not
to mention the investors who prosecutors say were swindled out of $60 million. It's that no one knows how
big this iceberg is.
Rendell
can't spin away Hsu. Capitol observers were astounded when Gov. Ed Rendell called Democrat
fundraiser Norman Hsu, a felon and then-fugitive, "one of the best 10 people I've met." They're likely
more astounded now. Rendell made the comment to The Philadelphia Inquirer; it became instant fodder for
Capitol insiders. If Mr. Hsu is on the governor's Top 10 list, who else is on the list?
Buddy Hsu Is Heap Big
Crook. It is a well-established fact that the Clintons have consorted with literally dozens of
crooked folks — convicted felons in fact — throughout their sordid political journey,
but according to the indictment prosecutors unsealed today [9/20/2007], Norman Hsu may just be the
biggest of them.
The Hsu on Hillary's Foot:
The little issue of a fugitive from the law raising $1 million for Mrs. Bill Clinton kind of reminds you
of the days of John Huang, Charlie Trie and all of the other crooked Clinton campaign cronies from the mid-90s
doesn't it?
Norman
Hsu wants a do-over on grand-theft case. Disgraced Democratic fundraiser Norman
Hsu should be allowed to dump a 15-year-old plea agreement that could send him to state prison
for three years because the state didn't try hard enough to find him after he fled before
sentencing, his attorney said this morning [9/28/2007].
Fund-raiser
Norman Hsu: Dismiss rap, give back my $2M bail. Jailed fund-raiser Norman
Hsu wants his 15-year-old fraud rap dismissed on a technicality and a full refund on the
$2 million bail he skipped out on three weeks ago, his lawyers said yesterday [9/28/2007].
Officials Detail
Contents Of Hsu's Seized Mementos. Among the items in Norman Hsu's personal collection of Clinton
memorabilia: CDs of presentations made by Hillary Clinton as well as an envelope of thank-you notes from
the Democratic presidential front-runner. … Also discovered: an AT&T calling card in the name of Winkle Paw.
Hsu victims get no refunds from candidates.
A lawyer for the biggest victim of Hsu's alleged Ponzi scheme asked Democratic campaigns to hold Hsu's contributions
in escrow for his client, he told Politico. "Most of them are either ignoring us or telling us they gave
the money back or gave it to charity," said Ronald Minkoff, a lawyer for Source Financing Investors. Source
invested $40 million with Hsu in what its backers believed to be an apparel industry venture.
Norman
Hsu Case on Ice Amid Rumors of Plea Deal. Gaunt and glancing nervously at reporters, disgraced
Democratic moneyman Norman Hsu appeared in a California court yesterday [11/02/2007] and agreed
to spend another 10 weeks behind bars while his lawyers do "research."
Democratic Fundraiser Norman Hsu
Indicted on Federal Fraud Charges. A federal grand jury on Tuesday [12/4/2007] indicted Norman
Hsu, a top Democratic fundraiser accused of cheating investors of at least $20 million and
using some of the money to make illegal donations to political campaigns. In the 15-count
indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the government accused the 56-year-old
clothing-industry entrepreneur of duping investors nationwide with a massive Ponzi scheme.
Hsu
associates touted his connections. Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu reveled in his role as
friend to Bill and Hillary Clinton. As Hsu raised more than $800,000 for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's
presidential campaign, the couple praised him at star-studded events and showered him with thank-you notes.
Hsu often wore a bomber jacket that bore the presidential seal, a gift from the former president, he told associates.
Dem fundraiser Hsu sentenced to
3 years. Disgraced political donor Norman Hsu was sentenced Friday [1/4/2008] to three years in
prison after a judge refused to throw out his 1992 no-contest plea to fraud. Hsu's lawyers had asked
Judge Stephen Hall to dismiss his 16-year-old plea, arguing that Hsu's right to speedy justice was violated
because authorities were not actively pursuing him during his years as a fugitive.
Fundraiser Hsu sentenced.
Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, indicted by a federal grand jury in New York in September on separate charges of
violating campaign-finance laws and overseeing a massive $60 million fraud, was sentenced yesterday in California
to three years in prison in a 1991 case. Superior Court Judge Stephen Hall in Redwood City, in pronouncing
the sentence, denied two defense motions from Hsu's attorneys to drop the 1991 charges, which accused the
California businessman and longtime Democratic fundraiser with defrauding investors of nearly $1 million.
With
Friends Like These ... It's not that we expect politicians to have squeaky-clean
donor lists. You try running for office without, at one point or another, taking
money from someone you probably shouldn't. Even Barack Obama, Mr. Clean, has Tony
Rezko. But the Frank Giustra-Kazakhstan-Uranium affair, blown open by The New York Times
last week, serves as a reminder that the relationship between the Clintons and money has not
always been lily-white. Here, a guide to the unsavory characters who have been
associated with Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Dem fundraiser Norman Hsu pleads
poverty … and not guilty. Top Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu will rely on a
court-appointed lawyer to defend him against charges that he cheated investors out of millions of
dollars and made illegal donations to politicians, including presidential candidate Hillary
Rodham Clinton.
Norman Hsu Who? Exactly
17 years before the Hsu story broke, when Foster City, CA police stopped a vehicle with [Kwok Cheung
(AKA Raymond "Shrimp Boy")] Chow, two of his associates, and Hsu, Hsu announced to the police that Chow was
"kidnapping" him. While in custody, Hsu and Chow were over heard arguing over an amount of money ranging
from $300,000 to $1,000,000. … Less than two years later Hsu failed to appear for sentencing on a fraud
conviction and fled to his native Hong Kong, only to resurface back in the U.S. 15 years later as a
major bundler for Hillary Clinton's fund-raising efforts.
Democratic
Fundraiser Hsu Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison. Prosecutors say Norman Hsu obtained millions of
dollars from investors by claiming clothing or high-technology ventures would pay returns of 14 and 20 percent.
Instead, he spent the money on himself.
Just
give me back my money. Charles Mack doesn't want revenge. He wants his money back. What Mack,
a retired roofing supplier wants to hear today, when Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu is sentenced in Manhattan Federal
Court for scamming investors out of $50 million, is if the feds have recovered any of the cash.
Democratic Donor Gets 24-Year
Term. A federal judge Tuesday [9/29/2009] sentenced Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu to more than
24 years in prison for illegally funneling money to U.S. political candidates and for defrauding investors
in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.
U.S. political fundraiser Hsu sentenced to
24 years. A former U.S. Democratic Party fundraiser whose 2007 arrest prompted Hillary Clinton to return
$850,000 in campaign contributions was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison on Tuesday [9/29/2009].
Look Who's Nativist
Now. GOP candidates should remind voters of all the shady foreign and mystery cash the Democrats
and their deep-pocketed donors have pumped into the political system. Convicted fraudster and former
top Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu — who ran several Hong Kong companies into the ground and
built a massive Ponzi scheme with still-unidentified sources of income — raised millions for the
Democratic Party and its candidates, including Hillary Clinton and Obama.
Update: Conviction
upheld in NYC for ex-Dem fundraiser. A federal appeals court on Friday [2/17/2012] upheld the
conviction and 24-year prison sentence of a former Democratic fundraiser in a case that became an embarrassment
to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other marquee Democrats.
