Letters of support saves Chatwal.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: High profile Indian American multi-millionaire hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal has managed to evade jail time for violating campaign finance laws.
Chatwal, who founded Hampshire Hotels Management LLC and the Bombay Palace chain of restaurants, was sentenced Thursday to probation, a $500,000 fine and 1,000 hours of community service for making illegal campaign contributions to candidates seeking federal office, reported the New York Daily News.
Hampshire Hotels Management owns or manages about a dozen hotels including the Chatwal Hotel in New York, Dream hotels in New York, Florida, Thailand and India, and food and beverage for the Plaza.
Federal prosecutors argued in court papers that some jail time was appropriate to counter the public perception that there is “one set of rules for the rich and powerful and another for everyone else.”
“The American campaign system is not a toy to be played with,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Martin Coffey.
But Brooklyn Federal Judge Leo Glasser was convinced otherwise by more than 200 letters from Chatwal’s employees, business associates, recipients of his charity and wealthy friends.
“I’m fairly confident that I’m not cheating justice by being merciful,” Glasser said.
Chatwal, 70, pleaded guilty earlier this year to using straw donors to give more than $180,000 to Hillary Clinton, former Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd and former Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek to skirt federal the federal election limit on contributions.
The candidates were unaware of the scheme, the feds acknowledged.
“I love this country,” Chatwal said in the hearing today, standing before the judge while wearing a dark suit and a turban, reported Bloomberg. “I’m so sorry that I broke its laws. I was wrong to try to get around the campaign laws and interfere with the investigation.”