Jail time ahead for conservative commentator, filmmaker.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza has pleaded guilty to one count of campaign finance fraud, stemming from allegations that he used straw donors to illicitly fund a political campaign in 2012.
D’Souza was indicted in January, when accusations surfaced that he had contributed around $20,000 to the campaign of US Senate hopeful (and fellow Republican) Wendy Long of New York. Long’s campaign was only able to raise about $785,000, and she ultimately lost the race to Democratic incumbent Kristen E. Gillibrand.
The 1971 Federal Election Campaign Act prohibits individuals from contributing more than $5,000 to a political campaign. According to D’Souza’s indictment, he recruited people to donate money to Long’s campaign, and reimbursed them later on for their contributions.
In US District Court in Manhattan on Tuesday, D’Souza fessed up to his crime, a rather dramatic reversal from his victimized stance over the past few months. D’Souza – along with other notable conservatives, such as Texas Senator Ted Cruz and fellow Republican commentator Sean Hannity – have said that D’Souza is simply being targeted by Democrats and being made an example out of.
By pleading guilty, D’Souza admitted to having recruited at least two individuals to make contributions to Long’s campaign. Using straw donors can land an individual in jail for as much as two years, but with an additional three years of probation and a quarter-million dollar fine; by pleading guilty, D’Souza now only faces a maximum of 16 months behind bars, which he will likely not serve in its entirety.
The guilty plea, entered as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors, also means that the government will dismiss a charge that said D’Souza forced Long to file a false report with the Federal Election Commission, which could have seen D’Souza go to jail for as many as five years.
In admitting his guilt, D’Souza expressed remorse for his actions. It’s virtually a certainty that he will go to jail for some amount of time, but exactly how much time that ends up being will depend on the sentence Judge Richard Berman ultimately hands down on September 23.
Born in Mumbai in 1961, D’Souza immigrated to the US for his higher studies, graduating from Dartmouth in 1983 with a B.A. in English. D’Souza has always been a divisive figure, both politically and religiously, and has written several books espousing his faith in both Christianity and Conservatism.
In 2012, he released a documentary entitled 2016: Obama’s Rage, a condemnation of the Obama Administration and where he believed the current President is going to leave the country when he exits office. Later this year, he will release his latest film, entitled simply America.
He has been married to Dixie Brubaker for over 20 years; together, the couple has one daughter named Danielle. The marriage, however, is reportedly on the rocks, as the couple is separated and headed for divorce.