Hillary Bagman Gets 24 Years

Mrs. Clinton was unavailable for comment. Off practicing smart diplomacy or something.

A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced former Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu to more than 24 years in prison for illegally funneling tens of thousands of dollars to U.S. political candidates and for his role in a Ponzi scheme.

The sentence of 292 months in prison, handed down in a U.S. District Court in Manhattan by Judge Victor Marrero, was less than the 30 years that the prosecution had requested.

Before Judge Marrero announced the sentence, Mr. Hsu quietly told him: "I know apologizing will not make things better for anyone, but I would still like to apologize to your Honor, and to everyone else."

Federal prosecutors said the apology was meaningless, arguing that Mr. Hsu wasn't as cooperative as he could have been.

Mr. Hsu's attorney, Alan Seidler, said his client wasn't surprised by the sentence. Mr. Seidler says his client intends to appeal, as Mr. Hsu disputes the amount of money lost to investors on which the sentence was calculated. Prosecutors have said that investors, collectively, lost at least $20 million.

Mr. Hsu was convicted in May of illegally funneling tens of thousands of dollars to U.S. political candidates. Also in May, he pleaded guilty to charges related to a Ponzi scheme that prosecutors said raised at least $60 million and swindled investors out of at least $20 million.

Mr. Hsu rose from a relatively unknown businessman to a prominent fund-raiser who pulled in hundreds of thousands of dollars for Hillary Clinton and other politicians. However, that fund-raising proved to be his downfall after an August 2007 article in The Wall Street Journal raised questions about whether the contributions violated campaign-finance laws.

Prosecutors had alleged that Mr. Hsu pressured some investors in the Ponzi scheme between 2004 and 2007 to individually contribute thousands of dollars to candidates for president and Congress whom Mr. Hsu supported. Mr. Hsu illegally reimbursed some investors for making those contributions, skirting campaign-finance laws, prosecutors said.

In 2007, Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign agreed to return $850,000 in funds raised through Mr. Hsu. During the May trial, the government introduced a voice-mail message of support to Mr. Hsu left by Mrs. Clinton. "What am I going to do with you, Norman? You are working so hard for me," Mrs. Clinton said. "I just don't even know what to say anymore. I've never seen anybody who has been more loyal and more effective and really just having greater success supporting someone than you."

Most other politicians with so cozy a relationship to criminals such as Hsu would have been hounded from office and permanently disgraced.

She got rewarded by becoming Secretary of State. Can youimagine a Republican getting away with that?

Neither can I.

Top Clinton Fundraiser Found Guilty

The final Hsu has dropped on Hillary's bagman.

Norman Hsu, a former top fundraiser for the Democratic Party and convicted Ponzi scheme operator, was found guilty Tuesday of illegally funneling tens of thousands of dollars to candidates for federal office by pressuring investors to donate to his favored candidates.

Earlier this month, Hsu pleaded guilty to wire fraud and mail fraud charges in a Ponzi scheme that prosecutors said raised at least $60 million and swindled investors out of at least $20 million. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each fraud count. Sentencing on all of the charges is set for Aug. 19.

Mrs. Clinton, off practicing smart diplomacy somewhere, was unavailable for comment.

More here.

Prosecutors had alleged Hsu, in order to raise his public profile, pressured some investors in the Ponzi scheme between 2004 and 2007 to individually contribute thousands of dollars to candidates for president and Congress whom Hsu supported, including Hillary Clinton.

Hsu illegally reimbursed some investors for making those contributions, skirting campaign finance laws, prosecutors said.

In 2007, Mrs. Clinton's campaign agreed to return $850,000 in funds raised through Hsu. Mrs. Clinton has since been named U.S. Secretary of State.

Hsu Really Got Around

I get the feeling Norman Hsu could really take a wrecking ball to many Democrats. Considering Hillary Clinton was sending him cooing phone calls and here he is with Barack Obama, the Democrat bagman must know a lot about shady fundraising, especially since he was pretty much the shadiest of them all.

Jurors got a glimpse of disgraced Democratic donor Norman Hsu's opulent lifestyle yesterday, peering at photos of his former SoHo pad filled with bottles of vintage wines and champagne, and a stack of Prada shoeboxes.

Hsu's 1,700-square-foot apartment on Wooster Street also boasted a massive, stainless-steel wine cooler in the living room.

The walls were hung with photos of a beaming Hsu alongside top-tier Dems, including then-candidate Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Hsu, who has confessed to running a Ponzi scheme, is being tried in Manhattan federal court for allegedly channeling illegal campaign contributions through other people.

Speaking of Kennedy, HBO will soon be airing a biopic. How much you want to bet Chappaquiddick gets little if any mention?

UNLIKE John Adams, who couldn't watch his seven-part, multiple- award-winning miniseries starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney unless St. Peter hung a TV on Cloud Nine, Ted Kennedy's getting immortalized whilst still with us. HBO is, as we speak, organizing a documentary on the senator. Titled "Teddy," produced by Peter Kunhardt, who's done stuff on Lincoln, JFK and Bobby, a 90-minute job is now in work. Not with actors. Mostly with archival footage and never-before-seen home movies. It'll stretch from childhood through Ted Kennedy's 2008 Democratic Convention speech. The cable channel's co-president Richard Plepler plans a special VIP screening in DC, but it premieres on the network in July.

Instapundit links. Thanks!

'Norman, It's Hillary!'

Geez, do you think Mrs. Clinton ever cooed so lovingly to her husband? This slobbering exchange borders dangerously close to phone sex.

Hillary Rodham Clinton gushed to disgraced Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu that he would "single-handedly" help her win the presidency because nobody "has been more loyal and been more effective" in landing donations.

"Norman, it's Hillary! What am I going to do with you, Norman? You're working so hard for me that I, I just don't even know what to say anymore," fawned then-Sen. Clinton in a taped voice message to Hsu, who -- unbeknownst to her -- was illegally funneling thousands into her war chest.

"I've never seen anybody who has been more loyal and been more effective and really just having greater success supporting someone than you," said Clinton on the embarrassing tape -- played during the kickoff of Hsu's campaign-finance fraud trial yesterday in Manhattan federal court.

"Everywhere I go, you're there. If you're not, you're sending people to be part of my events.

"You know, we're going to win this campaign, Norman, because you single-handedly are going to make that happen.

"I hope to see you again soon," Clinton purred. "Take care, my friend. Get some sleep, slow down for a few minutes. We're going to get to the end of the first quarter, and then we can all take a little rest. "Lots of love. Bye, bye."

Of course when Hsu wound up on the wrong side of the law she never heard of the guy.

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 Bagman Norman Hsu To Plead Guilty

Mrs. Clinton was unavailable for comment.

Former top Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu has told a federal judge in Manhattan he will plead guilty to 10 counts of wire and mail fraud.

The 58-year-old Hsu was indicted in 2007 on charges of cheating investors of at least $20 million in what prosecutors say was a huge Ponzi scheme. He had been scheduled to go on trial Monday.

The government also says he made illegal donations to politicians including Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her Senate campaign later returned money linked to him.

Prosecutors say he pressured his victims to contribute to political candidates as a way to raise his public profile so he could attract more investors.

Hillary Fundraiser Hsu Gets Three Years

Not a good couple of days for Mrs. Clinton.

A judge on Friday sentenced disgraced political donor Norman Hsu to three years in state prison after rejecting the one-time Democratic rainmaker's bid to throw out a 16-year-old fraud conviction.

Hsu's lawyers had asked Superior Court Judge Stephen Hall to dismiss his 1992 no contest plea, arguing his right to a speedy trial was violated because authorities weren't actively pursuing him during his years as a fugitive. They could easily have arrested Hsu, his lawyers argued, at one of the fundraisers he hosted in California for prominent local politicians.

Hsu also faces federal fraud charges in New York.

His troubles began dogging Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other big-name Democrats last summer when news reports revealed he was a fugitive who fled the state before he was sentenced for the 1992 fraud conviction. He turned himself in on Aug. 31 -- then fled again.

Michelle Malkin has more.

UPDATE: Suitably Flip was on this from the outset.

Hillary's day gets even worse. Now, apparently, her husband is being brought in to debate Obama.

Debate
Participating Candidates

Bill Clinton, Barack Obama
Event Details

Date: January 5, 2008
Time: N/A
Host: ABC News, WMUR, Facebook
Location: St. Anselm College, Manchester, NH

Hsu Indicted on 15 Counts

In an even more shocking development, he's identified as a Democrat fundraiser in the headline!

Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu was charged on Tuesday with fraud and campaign finance violations for swindling investors out of at least $20 million and making illegal donations to U.S. political campaigns.

The 15-count indictment expands upon charges filed in September, in a case that prompted Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton to return $850,000 in contributions.

Hsu's lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.

U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia in Manhattan accused Hsu of engineering a $60 million Ponzi scheme. The indictment charges Hsu with six counts of mail fraud, six counts of wire fraud and three counts of violating the Federal Election Campaign Act, which limits individual campaign contributions.

If convicted, the 56-year-old Hsu could face 20 years in prison on each fraud charge and five years on each campaign finance charge, as well as fines, Garcia said.

In September, Hsu had been charged with one count of mail fraud and wire fraud, and one count of violating campaign finance laws.

More from Michelle Malkin, Suitably Flip, A Blog For All.

Previously on Hsu and Mrs. Clinton's dubious fundraising.

Mrs. Clinton's Eavesdropping Problem

No doubt her boys from Media Matters will issue a press release (once they get it from her) decrying this as old news.

In their book about Clinton’s rise to power, Her Way, Don Van Natta Jr., an investigative reporter at The New York Times, and Jeff Gerth, who spent 30 years as an investigative reporter at the paper, wrote: “Hillary’s defense activities ranged from the inspirational to the microscopic to the down and dirty. She received memos about the status of various press inquiries; she vetted senior campaign aides; and she listened to a secretly recorded audiotape of a phone conversation of Clinton critics plotting their next attack.

“The tape contained discussions of another woman who might surface with allegations about an affair with Bill,” Gerth and Van Natta wrote in reference to Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton. “Bill’s supporters monitored frequencies used by cell phones, and the tape was made during one of those monitoring sessions.”

A GOP official said, “Hillary Clinton’s campaign hypocrisy continues to know no bounds. It is rather unbelievable that Clinton would listen in to conversations being conducted by political opponents, but refuse to allow our intelligence agencies to listen in to conversations being conducted by terrorists as they plot and plan to kill us. Team Clinton can expect to see and hear this over and over again over the course of the next year.”

Gerth told The Hill that he learned of the incident in 2006 when he interviewed a former campaign aide present at the tape playing. He has not revealed the aide’s identity. Clinton’s campaign has not disputed any facts reported in the final version of his book, which became public this spring, he said.

Of course, expect little coverage of this from the Washington press corps.

Her chief strategist and Blackwater USA rep Mark Penn also had a little eavesdropping problem of his own. I detect a pattern, and therefore, we must have an investigation.

If it were a Republican accused of eavesdropping, it would be 24/7 coverage. Let's see where this goes.

Meanwhile, her Norman Hsu problem isn't quite going away, as reported by Suitably Flip. You just knew this greedy woman wasn't going to willingly part with her shady cash.

UPDATE: More from Allahpundit.

More Dubious Fundraisers in the "Cult" of Clinton

Maybe we should just figure out if there are any legitimate Clinton donors and work our way from there.

Perhaps the crackhead investigative teams from Media Matters or MoveOn.org can look into this rather than concocting bogus stories about the "enemy" media they purport to find so offensive.

HILLARY'S $30,000 FANS ARE HER 'CULT' FOLLOWING

A purported pyramid-scheme operator who was run out of Arkansas when Bill Clinton was governor has reinvented himself as the head of an upstate group accused of being a "cult" - and his devotees have pumped thousands into Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential run.

Executives and top associates of the Albany-based NXIVM group - along with their family members - donated $29,900 to Clinton's presidential campaign, according to federal records.

On March 14 and April 13, records show, more than a dozen contributions poured into Clinton's coffers from NXIVM, an executive and group-awareness training organization led by Brooklyn-born Keith Raniere, 47.

Most were from first-time political donors, each giving the $2,300 maximum.

The revelation comes on the heels of the arrest of Norman Hsu, who raised $1.5 million in campaign contributions for the Clintons and other Democrats, even though he was technically a fugitive from fraud charges in California.

Hsu jumped bail in early September but was nabbed and is currently locked up in California.

In his previous incarnation, the Svengali-like Raniere ran a $30 million multilevel marketing business that imploded after federal agencies and regulators in 23 states alleged it was an illegal pyramid scheme.

He has managed to attract famous names to NXIVM.

Three of the March and April Clinton pledges came from Raniere's most high-profile followers: Seagram heiresses Clare and Sara Bronfman, and Pamela Cafritz, daughter of D.C. A-listers Buffy and Bill Cafritz.

Cafritz shares a condo with Raniere.

The Bronfman sisters are also deeply involved with NXIVM and, according to a 2003 article in Forbes magazine, have loaned millions to the group and provided use of their jet.

Their father, Edgar Bronfman Sr., once took NXIVM classes but soon severed ties, telling Forbes, "It's a cult."

Naturally, the Clinton campaign dismissed any possible campaign finance violations, just as they did when the Hsu story first broke.

The Clinton campaign downplayed the significance of the NXIVM-related contributions.

"Over 100,000 people from across the country have contributed to Sen. Clinton's campaign for change, and regardless of who supports her, she will always continue to stand up for what she feels is right," said campaign spokesman Blake Zeff.

It's all about feelings.

This shady group also donated money the the New York State Republicans.

NXIVM spokesman Frank Roberts told The Post the organization doesn't have a presidential candidate it is officially backing.

Last month, the Albany Times Union reported that NXIVM associates gave $31,600 to the state Republican Senate Campaign Committee and provided $34,763 worth of air transportation.

The recent campaign contributions led one close observer of NXIVM to speculate that the group is trying to curry favor for its effort to expand training centers upstate.

This Keith Raniere sure sounds like a wacko.

At NXIVM - according to court papers, cult watchdogs and relatives of members - Raniere has defrauded devotees, shattered families and drove at least one person to suicide.

After four months attending NXIVM's expensive, "intensive" studies, Alaska resident Kristin Marie Snyder grew angry, depressed and irrational.

In winter 2003, she disappeared. Her family believes she drowned herself. Her body was not recovered. Snyder was last seen leaving a NXIVM course, and police released a note she left behind.

"I was brainwashed and my emotional center of the brain was killed/turned off," Snyder scrawled in a spiral notebook.

Here's a very interesting story on Mr. Raniere, who claims to have the highest IQ in the world. Read it all, but check out this part.

“I know what was done to me,” she continues. “I know what was done to my family. I know what they are doing to other families. I know how they mind-fuck people. I know how dangerous they are. I know how dangerous Nancy Salzman is, and Keith Raniere. They are very, very dangerous, scary people.”

It has taken her six years of therapy, she says, to be able to talk at length about her experiences with Raniere. She still lives in fear, and she says, rarely leaves the house alone.

“The scary part of the organization,” Natalie says, “is that they have a philosophy, his philosophy . . . called ‘right action’ or ‘wrong action.’ And if he believes that something is ‘right action’ . . . it is OK to do whatever it takes. If you had to kill somebody, and it is for the betterment of the Family, it would be OK.”

Another item here about NXIVM suing critics. Curious how their representation, Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood, are also donors to Mrs. Clinton, notably one Paul Kalb.

UPDATE: More from Michelle Malkin, Captain's Quarters.

Shocker: Mrs. Clinton Tied to Shady Soros Group

Hard to believe the pristine Pantsuit would have shady connections, isn't it?

Funny how the criminal George Soros just keeps popping up. MoveOn, Media Matters, ACT ... are there any of these brownshirt Democrat groups he isn't funding?

There's a huge stench emanating from the Clinton campaign, but apparently, the Democrats just don't care.

Fined group tied to Hillary

Officials of a defunct pro-Democratic group that was hit with a near-record campaign-finance fine last month hold strong ties to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, documents show.

At least four persons who worked for the America Coming Together (ACT) fundraising group, which the Federal Election Commission recently fined $775,000, work directly for the Clinton campaign or hold top positions with consulting firms hired by it.

In addition, the group's former president, longtime Clinton aide Harold Ickes, has been identified as a volunteer adviser to the Clinton campaign. In FEC filings, the campaign listed a debt to Mr. Ickes of more than $2,000 for travel-related costs.

Funded with millions of dollars from billionaire George Soros, America Coming Together (ACT) misused about $70 million in "soft money," uncapped donations that aren't supposed to be used to urge election or defeat of a candidate, the FEC determined, saying that some of the money was spent on direct-mail and telemarketing efforts aimed against President Bush and Republicans in key battleground states in 2004.

Laurence Gold, ACT's attorney, said the FEC's fine marked "the conclusion of three years of politically motivated charges by the Republican Party and ill-conceived allegations by self-styled campaign 'reform' groups."

It's not clear how much control the former ACT officials have had in the day-to-day fundraising activities of the Clinton campaign, which found itself the focal point of controversy surrounding jailed fundraiser Norman Hsu in recent weeks.

The Clinton campaign did not return phone or e-mail messages this week.

A fundraiser for Mrs. Clinton and other Democrats, Hsu remains in jail without bond on charges he bilked investors in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Mrs. Clinton's campaign has said she is returning money from donors linked to Hsu.

Pantsuit Could Cost Democrats; More Hsus Also Drop

Doubt you'll see this story get much traction as the Clinton machine has most of the press in their own personal lockbox.

Recall this item from August. Anyone ever hear from Dave Crooks again?

Hillary Clinton 'could cost Democrats dear'

A leaked Democratic poll has suggested that Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner in the race for the party's presidential nomination, could lose the 2008 election because of her "very polarised image".

Translation: Republicans can't stand the sight of her and Democrats only will vote for her to spite Republicans. They can't stand her either, but really, do they have a choice?

The survey by the Democratic pollsters Lake Research indicated that both Mrs Clinton and Barack Obama, second in the race, trailed Rudy Giuliani, the Republican front runner, in 31 swing congressional districts.

Former President Bill Clinton whispers to his wife Senator Hillary Clinton
The private memo, leaked to The Washington Post, painted what researchers described as a "sobering picture" for Democrats who believe that President George W Bush's disastrous favourability numbers almost guarantee they will capture the White House next year.

All polls show that Democrats are much more popular than Republicans. But when the names of individual candidates are used, the gap narrows considerably.

"The images of the two early [Democratic] favourites are part of the problem," the memo said.

The leaked poll found that Mr Giuliani, a centrist Republican with liberal stances on issues such as abortion and gay rights, leads Mrs Clinton by 49 per cent to 39 per cent in the swing districts.

Democrats, of course, are in fear, and just don't want to talk.

"We're not commenting on this poll," said Daniel Gotoff, co-author of the memo accompanying the Lake Research poll. "It was leaked and obviously not by us."

These people never shut up, but when it comes to discussing how unpopular The Pantsuit is, remarkably they dummy up.

I wonder why?

Frank Luntz, a leading Republican pollster, said: "This poll reveals what grassroots Democrats have been concerned about. Hillary is their choice ideologically but not necessarily politically and they're afraid she could lose.

"Democrats want to win more than anything else and they will compromise on policy to achieve electability." Mrs Clinton, he said, prompted a series of perceptions that could damage her.

"She never admits she's wrong. There's a lack of candour and a harshness to her. She doesn't have any of the typical challenges of a female candidate but that is in itself a challenge.

One major problem the story neglects is Norman Hsu, Mrs. Clinton's criminal fundraiser. The media largely wants this story to go away, but there are many more Hsus to drop, I'm sure.

Curious new details today.

Last fall, as the Nevada governor's race was heating up, Clinton agreed to help raise money for Democrat Dina Titus, a prominent party leader in a state that holds a key early presidential caucus. Clinton arranged for Hsu, at the time a little-known New York apparel executive with no apparent reason to take interest in Nevada politics, to give Titus $5,000 on Nov. 3, according to a person with knowledge of Clinton's fund-raising.

And in February, when former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack ended his own White House bid, he was about $450,000 in the red. A month after dropping out, Vilsack endorsed Clinton, and Clinton agreed to help him retire his debts. (Both insisted there was no quid pro quo.)

Over the next few months, some of Clinton's biggest fund-raisers gave Vilsack checks, including Hsu, who kicked in the maximum allowable contribution, $2,300, on May 3 after attending an event organized by Clinton's campaign, Newsweek reported this month. An associate of Hsu's, Paul Su, chipped in $1,000 on the same day.

Hmmm.

More on Hsu at A Blog For All, Hot Air.

UPDATE: I was reminded that Paul Su appears on the original list of donors as compiled by Flip Pidot.

Mrs. Clinton: Hsu a "Good Friend and Trusted Associate"

Now she pretends she hardly knew the guy.

Right.

Your biggest fundraiser, who just so happened to be a fugitive running a Ponzi scheme.

And the smartest woman in the world had no idea.

We're either to believe she's incredibly naive, which should disqualify her from being President, or she was in on the scam, which should qualify her for an orange jumpsuit.

Which is it, Pantsuit?

SLIMY TRAIL OF A HSU HEEL

In the past month, Hsu's checkered past and murky business practices have come under increasing scrutiny.

He not only swindled investors but strong-armed them into donating thousands of dollars to Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign and to other Democratic candidates, authorities and lawsuits say.

He wowed one investor in Orange County, Calif., during a meeting in which he had Clinton join them "live" via videoconference. From a huge screen, the New York senator greeted Hsu warmly, and called him a "good friend and trusted associate."

Trying to impress would-be investors, he also dropped names like supermarket magnate Ron Burkle, Sen. Ted Kennedy, "Spider-Man" star Toby Maguire and movie director Steven Spielberg.

Last week, federal prosecutors charged the 56-year-old Hsu with stealing $60 million from unwitting investors nationwide in various Ponzi schemes.

Now everyone and their brother is claiming absolutely no knowledge, meaning if they even had an inkling, they just didn't care so long as Hsu kept delivering the cash.

The duped investors now say Hsu gained their confidence in his business acumen by bragging that Hillary Clinton "carefully screened" her fund-raisers to ensure their integrity and credibility, the suit says.

However, they say Hsu further exploited that trust starting in 2006, when he "imposed a condition" that future investors had to donate cash to specific campaigns, including Clinton's presidential run.

"He would say, 'You had a great investment with me before. If you want another, I want you to contribute the maximum under federal election law to Hillary Clinton,' " said lawyer William Bollard, who represents the investors.

One victim hand-delivered to Hsu nearly $30,000 in checks from investors made payable to the Clinton campaign, the suit says.

Elected officials lapped up his cash, but some admit they had no idea why Hsu was so involved.

Sorry, that's just not a credible excuse. Though they'll probably get away with it, thanks to a compliant media.

"It appeared that he was very interested in politics and knew the political landscape," said Matt Paul, a spokesman for Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). "But at the same time, he didn't really have an agenda."

Here's a partial list of where the money went.

Do you suppose the Democrats would be largely silent on this issue if Hsu were donating all this illicit money to the GOP?

The Hsus Keep Dropping

Flip Pidot continues to outhustle the media by uncovering more and more information of Hillary Clinton fundraiser Norman Hsu, and today unearths more details that keep drawing Clinton and Hsu together.

I'm not suspending disbelief.

Naturally, Mrs. Clinton plays make-believe.

Clinton said she will cooperate with any investigation of Hsu, and that the money is in the process of being returned.

"This happened to a lot of campaigns, a lot of investors who made investments that unfortunately don't look like they were treated appropriately," Clinton told CNN.

"The system of justice will work its course, and I think that appropriate."

Except that when the system of justice lands at her doorstep, then it's a conspiracy against her. Just watch.

Also at , Captain's Quarters.

Hsu Will Be Charged With Operating Pyramid Scheme

More bad news for The Pantsuit. Her chief fundraiser is about to be slapped with federal charges. I doubt she'll be yukking it up much today.

Norman Hsu Faces Charges Tied to Democratic Fund-Raising

Federal officials are expected to bring a criminal case against Norman Hsu today, charging the Democratic super-donor with operating a $60 million pyramid scheme and violating campaign-finance laws.

The case, to be announced this afternoon by the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of New York, encompasses complaints by investors who gave tens of millions of dollars to Mr. Hsu, who said he was putting the money into a lucrative apparel operation. It also is expected to charge Mr. Hsu with crimes relating to his legendary fund-raising.

A lawyer and a spokesman for Mr. Hsu did not immediately return calls for comment this morning.

The case comes several weeks after a Wall Street Journal story called attention to Mr. Hsu's suspicious fund-raising activities. The story focused on a house near San Francisco airport that Mr. Hsu once listed as his address. A family currently living in the home, the Paws, gave tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates, often in the same increments and on the same dates as with Mr. Hsu.

Meanwhile, Hot Air notes another possible shady fundraiser.

It would really be nice if someone in the media questioned her about this.

Hsu Financed Vegas Trip for Clinton Staffers

Considering they allegedly knew nothing about the guy, Mrs. Clinton and her people sure had their grubby hands out all the time when Norman Hsu was around.

VEGAS VICTORY BASH

Members of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign staff got a nice payoff last year for their work to get her re-elected - a trip to Las Vegas funded by her fugitive former fund-raiser.

Among the Sin City guests of disgraced former fund-raiser Norman Hsu was Patti Solis Doyle, one of Clinton's most trusted advisers who now runs the senator's presidential campaign.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Hsu - who raised more than $850,000 for Clinton before being jailed last month on charges related to an investment scheme - treated the senator's campaign staff to several days at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, complete with free show tickets and dinners at posh restaurants.

Doyle was accompanied by two junior staffers and a New York-based fund-raiser, the report said.

In April 2006, Hsu provided a hotel stay in Las Vegas for two other campaign workers.

Doyle also received a coveted and pricey designer handbag from the disgraced moneyman, the newspaper said. But she returned it.

The red-faced Clinton camp insists there was nothing illegal about the trip, according to the article, and stressed that Hsu never received any legislative favors in return for his generosity.

No, never anything illegal according to these people.

Just very dubious.

UPDATE: In other Pantsuit news, word is her latest stab at socialized medicine will cost a mere $110 billion annually, meaning the tab is likely more around $500 billion by the time it's shoved down our throats.

UPDATE II: Michelle Malkin has more on Hsu and Solis Doyle. Newsbusters notes how WaPo hack Howie Kurtz discusses the latest political scandals but fails to mention Norman Hsu.

How convenient.

Big Bucks Bail for Hillary Pal

It's hard to say who'll be more Hsuicidal, the defendant or Mrs. Clinton.

We know how greedy The Pantsuit is; no doubt there will be hell to pay now that all that funny money has been cut off.

$5 million bail for fugitive Hsu

Bail was set today at $5 million for disgraced Democratic donor Yung Yuen "Norman" Hsu.

Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger asked for a $50 million bond because Hsu had Last week, Hsu surrendered in San Mateo, Calif., and posted a $2 million bond in connection with a 1992 felony case. He had been convicted of grand theft 15 years ago in a $1 million fraud scheme involving the sale of latex gloves. a checkbook that showed a balance of $6 million and because of other allegations that Hsu had bilked investors of more than $40 million in recent years.

Mesa County Judge Bruce Raaum set bail at $5 million after Eric Eliff, Hsu's attorney, argued that Hautzinger's figure was excessive and that his client's illness made him incapable of traveling far. Eliff did not elaborate on the illness.

Now how does this guy still have $6 miilion on hand?

Seems his attorney Eliff comes from a high-profile firm with many Asian offices, and connections to the Clintons. They've made several donations to the Hillary Clinton campaign.

All just a coincidence, I'm sure.

More on Hsu from Captain's Quarters, Allahpundit.

Another Hsu Drops on Mrs. Clinton

Any other presidential candidate with such shady fundraisers would be history by now, but slowly Mrs. Clinton is being justifiably subjected to scrutiny over mystery bagman Norman Hsu.

It's obvious Mrs. Clinton and her people lied about this scandal from the beginning and are desperately trying to cover their tracks. What did they know, when did they know it, and when are the other cowardly Democrats going to use it against her?

Perhaps all of them are also entanled in this mess and they'd rather dummy up?

Team Clinton can't explain ignoring warnings on Hsu

WASHINGTON - 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.

Clinton was forced Monday to give back a whopping $850,000 raised by convicted scam artist Hsu after learning his investment ventures were being probed by the FBI as a potential Ponzi scheme.

She earlier gave to charity $23,000 Hsu donated himself after reports revealed he fled sentencing for a $1 million scam in California in 1992.

Yesterday, the campaign insisted it did all it should to vet Hsu after California businessman Jack Cassidy warned in June that Hsu's investment operation was fishy. Cassidy e-mailed his tips to the California Democratic Party, which forwarded them to the Clinton campaign.

Cassidy did not want to talk about the case, saying he doesn't want to jeopardize the FBI's efforts. But he wants Hsu prosecuted. He told The News that Hsu was a reverse Robin Hood - "a hood robbin' the poor to give to the rich."

His warning "prompted a search of publicly available information, which did not reveal Mr. Hsu's decade-plus-old warrant," said Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson. He would not say why the campaign didn't follow up on specifics Cassidy included to explain his suspicions.

"They knew [about Hsu], and they knew back in June," a source told The News.

More from Michelle Malkin, See-Dubya at Hot Air, Captain's Quarters, Wizbang, Don Surber.

Pantsuit Returning $850,000 of Hsu Funny Money

The Clintons must realize this scandal could quickly mushroom, and are hustling to distance themselves from the tainted Norman Hsu megabucks.

Just imagine what they might do if the media paid one-tenth the amount of attention to this as they did to the hapless Larry Craig.

I'd like to know how many other shady donors they've received money from.

Still now, after two weeks, not a single Democrat presidential candidate has mentioned this scnadal.

Obviously, they're very afraid.

The timing of this announcement is a bit suspicious, to say the least, coming after the Petraeus testimony today and just as we're about to enter the 9/11 anniversary news cycle. Just like the old Clinton scandal days, with the 6 pm Friday document drops.

Clinton to return $850,000 raised by Hsu

WASHINGTON - 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.

Clinton, D-N.Y., previously had planned only to give to charity $23,000 she received from Hsu for her presidential and senatorial campaigns and to her political action committee, HillPac.

The FBI is investigating whether Hsu paid so-called straw donors to send campaign contributions to Clinton and other candidates, a law enforcement official said Monday.

"In light of recent events and allegations that Mr. Norman Hsu engaged in an illegal investment scheme, we have decided out of an abundance of caution to return the money he raised for our campaign," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a statement Monday night. "An estimated 260 donors this week will receive refunds totaling approximately $850,000 from the campaign."

Wolfson said the Clinton campaign also will vigorously review its fundraisers, including thorough criminal background checks, in the future. "In any instances where a source of a bundler's income is in question, the campaign will take affirmative steps to verify its origin," he said.

Ah, Howard Wolfson. Funny, he wasn't being so contrite when this scandal first broke.

A Clinton campaign spokesman, Howard Wolfson, said in an email: "Norman Hsu is a longtime and generous supporter of the Democratic party and its candidates, including Senator Clinton. During Mr. Hsu's many years of active participation in the political process, there has been no question about his integrity or his commitment to playing by the rules, and we have absolutely no reason to call his contributions into question."

Would you like to take that one back now, Howie?

Questions still linger. Such as, where did the money come from?

Federal authorities are looking into whether Hsu leaned on investors to contribute to political candidates after paying them big earnings from a shady business venture he was running, the law enforcement official said. Such a scam — using conduit contributors known as straw donors — is a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act, which limits how much money individuals can give to candidates and political committees.

The FBI may be looking at other potential charges as well, according to the law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

In addition to the $260,000 he contributed to federal candidates, Hsu also contributed at least $330,000 to state Democratic candidates and state party committees and ballot initiatives during the 2004 and 2006 election cycles. Among the state officials who received money were New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Both have said they would divest their campaigns of the donations.

UPDATE: More from Allahpundit, Suitably Flip, Blue Crab Boulevard.

Fugitive Clinton Bagman Nabbed in Colorado

Well, knock me over with a straw.

Remarkably, he didn't turn up in a carpet somewhere having committed Hsu-icide.

Fugitive fundraiser Hsu captured in Colorado

Fugitive political fundraiser Norman Hsu, who skipped out on San Mateo County authorities this week rather than face sentencing for a 1992 fraud conviction, was apprehended Thursday night by federal and local lawmen in Grand Junction, Colo.

Authorities said Hsu was taken into custody at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction at 7 p.m. local time. He had been on the lam for almost two days after failing to appear in a Redwood City courtroom Wednesday to surrender his passport.

Hsu was taken off a passenger train at the Grand Junction train station earlier in the day by paramedics who requested a backboard to move him, said Sgt. Lonnie Chavez with the Grand Junction Police Department.

Authorities received a request for medical assistance at the train station at about 11:15 a.m., but the exact nature of Hsu's condition was unclear, Chavez said. Staff at St. Mary's Hospital declined to comment.

FBI spokesman Joseph Schadler said Hsu will be returned to California on the 1992 conviction once released from the hospital.

Hsu's attorney told state prosecutors that Hsu had been on a charter flight that arrived at Oakland International Airport at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday and then dropped out of sight, said Gareth Lacy, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office.

Amtrak's California Zephyr train offers service from nearby Emeryville to Grand Junction before heading to Denver and Chicago. The Zephyr left Emeryville at about 7:10 a.m. Wednesday and was scheduled to arrive in Grand Junction before noon Thursday.

Hsu's disappearing act seemed to be a reprise of a move he pulled 15 years ago, when he failed to show up for sentencing in the same grand theft case. Hsu was facing up to three years in state prison, a $10,000 fine and restitution payments after pleading no contest to a single count of grand theft in what prosecutors described as a $1 million fraud scheme.

If you stay with the story long enough, they mention the word "Democrat" in the ninth paragraph.

Were he a Republican, it would have been mentioned in the first sentence.

More from Michelle Malkin, Suitably Flip, Wizbang, Gateway Pundit.

In a shocking development, the leftwing blogs are totally silent.

Democrat Bagman Hsu Skips Bail Hearing

I'm sure he'll turn up at a fundraiser soon.

Or in Hong Kong.

BREAKING NEWS: Fugitive Dem fundraiser disappears, again

Norman Hsu, the bigtime Democratic Party fundraiser who was a fugitive from a pending prison term for years while raising money for prominent Democrats including Sen. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, failed to appear for a bail hearing in Redwood City, Calif. this morning.

His lawyer says he has no idea where his client is. And Hsu did not turn in his passport as required.

An arrest warrant was issued.

Hsu pleaded no contest in 1991 to a felony count of grand theft, admitting he'd defrauded investors of $1 million in a bogus investment scam. Prosecutors say he was facing up to three years in prison when he skipped town before being sentenced.

Federal Election Commission records show Hsu donated more than a quarter-million dollars to Democrats and their party since 2004.

By not appearing, Hsu forfeits his request to cut his $2 million bond in half.

More from WSJ.

Patches Kennedy was unavailable for comment.

Shocking how a shady Clinton operative would just disappear, isn't it?

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has the APB out. More from Dan Riehl and Allahpundit, Stop the ACLU, A Blog For All, Wizbang, Captain's Quarters, Don Surber, Suitably Flip, Gateway Pundit, Sweetness & Light.

UPDATE II: Patches decides to give the money back.

I question the timing.