September 9, 2007
The Norman Hsu Campaign Donation Saga
For those who follow the news, you probably heard that Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and other Democratic politicians recently “gave back” campaign donations from Norman Hsu, a former Silicon Valley businessman, prominent Democratic fundraiser, and convicted felon who has been on the run for 15 years. Last week, Hsu turned himself in and posted bail, but today, he has apparently disappeared again:
Hsu pleaded no contest in 1991 to a felony count of grand theft, admitting he’d defrauded investors of $1 million after falsely claiming to have contracts to purchase and sell Latex gloves. He was facing up to three years in prison when he skipped town before his 1992 sentencing date.
Prosecutors said they suspected Hsu fled the country then. But a few years ago, Hsu re-emerged in New York as an apparel executive and a wealthy benefactor of Democratic causes and candidates. They included presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose campaign designated Hsu a “HillRaiser” — a title given to top donors. . . .
[Hsu is a] wanted man again after he failed to show up for a court date Wednesday and a judge issued a new warrant for his arrest.
The latest is that on late last week, Hsu was tracked down by federal authorities and arrested in Colorado.
Let me be clear so that there is no confusion — from everything I’ve read, Norman Hsu sounds like a total loser and he is an embarrassment to the Asian American community. He may think that he was somehow helping the “Asian American cause” and until his criminal activities, he probably was.
But he lost that goodwill when he engaged in his fraudulent scheme, became a convicted felon, and a fugitive on the run from the law. In that context, his latest disappearance is not that shocking.
The lesson to be learned here is, if you want to “represent” the Asian American community, do so by exemplifying what we stand for — honesty and fair play, not through fraud, criminal activities, and being a fugitive from the law.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Chinatown Residents Donating to Hillary Clinton
- Donations for Disasters in Asia and the Pacific
- Asian Tsunami Tragedy
- Clinton Campaign Shuns Chinese American Media
- Obama’s Anti-Asian Goof
- Donations & Resources for Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Victims
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Suggested reference: Le, C.N. . "The Norman Hsu Campaign Donation Saga" Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian America. <http://www.asian-nation.org/headlines/2007/09/the-norman-hsu-campaign-donation-saga/> ().
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