January 5, 2008
Hsu to the Hoosegaw
Rejecting his novel defense that the government acted too long in finding him after he absconded, Norman Hsu, Hillary's mysterious donor and fugitive, was sentenced to three years in jail .
Redwood City, Calif. (AP) -- 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.