Clinton Donors Caught Up in Criminal Cases

Four cases, six defendants, $1.1M in contributions
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 21, 2011 11:43 AM CST
Hillary Clinton Campaign Donors Facing Criminal Complaints
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a tribute in memory of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke at the Asia Society on Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 in New York.   (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

A number of Hillary Clinton’s top fundraisers are now caught up in criminal cases, including Galen Capital Group Chairman William P. Danielczyk Jr., who was indicted last week. There are now four major federal cases involving six defendants who raised a total of more than $1.1 million for Clinton’s 2006 Senate campaign and 2008 White House campaign, the Washington Post reports. Danielczyk is accused of skirting campaign finance limits by illegally reimbursing almost $190,000 in donations he'd nominally solicited from others.

Another top fundraiser, Norman Hsu, was convicted in 2009 of campaign-finance fraud; Patricia Cornwell’s former business manager is accused of reimbursing donors without Cornwell’s knowledge; and major fundraiser Hassan Nemazee was sentenced last year to 12 years for defrauding banks and giving the funds to Democrats. Clinton hasn't personally been accused of wrongdoing, and has returned or donated most of the money. But a watchdog group lobbyist warns, "When you turn to that traditional wealthy donor base, you're going to run into a lot of problems because they encompass the type of people who know that big money buys influence.” (More Norman Hsu stories.)

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