Investor who donated nearly $1M to Trump inauguration sentenced to 12 years in prison

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

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]

1. Thank You for posting...K and R

[RainCaster]

2. That Trump knows the best people...

MF - er

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Wow they really whacked him, wonder how insurrectionist sentences will compare

[Marie Marie]

4. Warms my heart to finally see some rich f**k end up in jail.

[ancianita]

5. Here's today's LA Times report on Zuberi. Lots of Obama and Clinton in the report.

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]

6. For those who have money to protect & no ideology, spreading donations around is par for the course

Donations to Republicans and Democrats both That way, no matter who wins, they’ve got friends in high places.

[ancianita]

7. Which, imo, makes what we're in a corporate war against democracy.

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]

18. It doesn't help that the news media networks are owned by huge corps

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]

19. Good points, every one. Totally agree.

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]

8. Trump was an unregistered foreign agent.....

[DanieRains]

9. His Money Wasn't Dark Enough

Gotta get some more dark going next time, next corruptor.

[Indykatie]

10. This Dude Made Big Donations to Everyone It Seems - Dems and Republicans n/t

[olddad65]

11. Maybe trump will pardon him. Lol

Or maybe they can someday share a cell.

[raccoon]

12. Birds of a feather....nt

[Firestorm49]

13. And then there was Michael Flynn!

[rpannier]

14. Sooooo... il douche is gone

His pardon left with him

[CaptYossarian]

15. I was hoping it was DeJoy, but I'll take it anyway.

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]

16. I guess he couldn't meet President Duh Don's price

for a pardon...


rocktivity

[BlueWavePsych]

17. K&R

[msfiddlestix]

20. I hate when journalist hide pertinent facts with generic verbage.

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]

21. It says agent for more than one foreign actor

It mentions Bahraini officials, and the Ukrainian oligarch Firtash.

[msfiddlestix]

22. Thanks, I didn't see that info.

Do I have to click on the link to find that?

[ck4829]

23. K&R