Prominent Indian-American hotel magnate and Democratic fundraiser Sant Singh Chatwal has pleaded guilty in a New York court to charges of witness tampering and conspiracy to evade US campaign finance laws.
Chatwal, who has raised funds for Hillary Clinton for her 2008 presidential campaign and several other Democrats over the years, has been freed on $750,000 bond. He is due to be sentenced on July 31.
The Office of US Attorney for Eastern District of New York loretta lynch announced that Chatwal pleaded guilty to a scheme to evade federal election campaign contribution limits and to witness tampering.
“When sentenced, Chatwal faces up to 25 years in prison. As part of his plea agreement with the Government, Chatwal agreed to forfeit $1 million to the United States,” said a news release from lynch’s office.
Appearing at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Chatwal “pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act by making more than $180,000 in federal campaign donations to three candidates through straw donors who were reimbursed, and to witness tampering”.
The founder of Hampshire Hotels Management llC that owns and manages hotels in the US, Britain, Thailand and India, Chatwal entered the plea following a deal he reached with federal prosecutors.
“Chatwal sought to buy access to power through unlimited and illegal campaign contributions, funnelling money from the shadows through straw donors,” Attorney lynch said, adding his scheme “sought to subvert the very purpose of the Election Act”.