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  1. #1
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    Mexican billionaire found guilty of buying political influence in U.S.

    Mexican billionaire found guilty on multiple counts of buying political influence in San Diego

    KELLY WHEELER, City News Service12:33 PM, Sep 9, 2016
    16 mins ago





    SAN DIEGO - Mexican businessman Jose Susumo Azano and two others were convicted Friday of involvement in a scheme to secretly funnel more than $500,000 into the 2012 San Diego mayoral campaigns of Bonnie Dumanis and Bob Filner.

    Following a six-week trial, a federal jury found Azano guilty on 36 counts, including conspiracy, campaign finance violations and falsification of records.

    Jurors could not reach a verdict on a firearm charge against the 51-year-old defendant, who is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 12.

    Azano's attorney, Michael Wynne, told reporters that he was "very disappointed" with the verdicts and predicted a "win on appeal," even if the case goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Political consultant Ravneet Singh, 44, and Azano's 24-year-old son, Edward Susumo Azano Hester, were each convicted of felony counts associated with a series of illegal campaign contributions by Azano to the campaigns of Dumanis, who lost her mayoral bid, and Filner, who won but would later be forced from office in a sexual harassment scandal.

    After five days of deliberations, jurors were unable to reach verdicts on several charges brought against 46-year-old San Diego lobbyist Marco Polo Cortes and acquitted him on several counts of falsifying campaign donation records.

    The jury also acquitted Hester on several charges related to the falsification of campaign donation records, and could not reach a verdict on several other counts against Hester.

    "We appreciate the jury's dedication during this long trial and are grateful for their careful consideration of the evidence," said Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair Perez. "The jury's verdict confirms that a foreign national must not attempt to influence a United States election."

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Schopler told jurors that Azano got his son and others to recruit straw donors to contribute to the Dumanis campaign, then Azano reimbursed the donors.

    A political consultant testified that he felt pressured by some in the Dumanis mayoral campaign to find a way to put $100,000 of "fishy" campaign funds to work for Dumanis and her run for mayor. Dumanis is now the district attorney of San Diego County.

    The consultant, John Wainio, said he rejected an offer to deposit the money from Azano into a political action committee.

    As a foreign national, Azano is barred from financial participation in U.S. elections.

    Prosecutors said Azano was trying to buy influence in his vision to build a "Miami West" development on the waterfront in San Diego.

    http://www.10news.com/news/mexican-b...e-in-san-diego

    Last edited by JohnDoe2; 09-09-2016 at 06:53 PM.
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    Political consultant Ravneet Singh, 44, and Azano's 24-year-old son, Edward Susumo Azano Hester, were each convicted of felony counts associated with a series of illegal campaign contributions by Azano to the campaigns of Dumanis, who lost her mayoral bid, and Filner, who won but would later be forced from office in a sexual harassment scandal.
    Singh comes to this area of the world to betray USA, it is in his country's interest to have open borders and USA citizens be denied their country that our countrymen fought and died for. mexico has already established that they have overtaken our open border and if push comes to shove all the illegals allowed into this country with gw and obama will try to take back parts of USA - after the left takes your guns.

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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    . . . Prosecutors said Azano was trying to buy influence in his vision to build a "Miami West" development on the waterfront in San Diego . . .
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    Senior Member posylady's Avatar
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    What a bunch of greedy crooks we have running our country!

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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    La Jolla car dealer sentenced for role in funneling illegal contributions to San Diego mayor's race

    Greg Moran Contact Reporter

    A key figure in a wealthy Mexican businessman’s scheme to illegally funnel campaign contributions into a San Diego mayor’s race was sentenced Thursday in federal court to three years of probation.

    Marc Chase, former owner of the La Jolla luxury car dealership Symbolic Motors, pleaded guilty in 2014 to eight misdemeanor charges of conspiracy and aiding a foreign national to make illegal contributions in the 2012 mayor’s race.


    Chase, 54, agreed to cooperate and help prosecutors build their case against Mexican tycoon José Susumo Azano Matsura.


    That cooperation helped convict Azano of 36 counts following a trial this past summer. Chase, who participated in numerous pretrial meetings with prosecutors, was a major witness at the trial, which also led to convictions of Azano’s son, Edward, and Ravneet Singh, a campaign consultant.


    Chase testified for four days, describing how he recruited straw donors to make contributions to campaigns that were reimbursed with cash from Azano. The car dealer also described how $180,000 of Azano’s money was illegally funneled to an independent political committee backing Rep. Bob Filner in the mayor’s race, the San Diego County Democratic Party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.


    Chase’s cooperation was so substantial that prosecutors argued his potential maximum prison sentence of 2½ years should be cut to probation.


    Under federal law, a foreign national is prohibited from participating in U.S. domestic elections. As a Mexican citizen with no legal status in the United States, Azano was prohibited from making political contributions.


    But in 2012, federal prosecutors said, Azano poured $600,000 in cash an in-kind services into the mayoral campaigns and campaign committees of Filner and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.


    His total contributions accounted for more than 25 percent of all contributions that Filner and Dumanis received, though his name wasn’t attached to any of the donations, prosecutors said.


    Azano came to know Chase through his La Jolla car dealership and soon became his best customer. During the trial, Chase testified that over a couple of years Azano purchased about 20 luxury cars worth approximately $10 million from the dealership.


    When Azano approached him in late 2011 and said he wanted to help Dumanis’ struggling campaign, Chase said he obliged.

    He recruited numerous employees and others to make $500 or $1,000 donations, then reimbursed them with $100 bills provided by Azano.


    After Dumanis finished fourth in the primary, Azano switched his focus to helping Filner. As part of that effort, Chase said he wrote three checks on his business accounts with money Azano provided. Filner eventually won the election but resigned during his first year in office amid a sexual harassment scandal.


    Chase said he helped Azano as a favor for a friend and a valued client. Federal prosecutors and U.S. District Judge Michael Anello agreed with that. The judge said he concluded Chase went astray “out of misguided loyalty to a client.”


    At his sentencing, Chase apologized and said he did not at the time understand the ramifications of what he was doing. “I’ve learned my lesson,” he told the judge. “I’ll never make a political contribution again in my life.”


    Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Halpern wrote in court papers that the Azano case was “perhaps the most significant election prosecution of a foreign national in the history of our country.” At the hearing, he compared the case to recent conclusions by U.S. intelligence officials that the Russian government hacking efforts were designed to influence the outcome of last year’s presidential election.


    “This is antithetical to our system of government,” Halpern told Anello.


    The judge agreed, saying that any foreign involvement in an election “strikes at the heart of our democracy.”


    Azano’s interest in the election was to “buy a mayor,” prosecutors told the jury at the outset of the trial, to make it easier for him to develop luxury projects along San Diego Bay.


    Dumanis, who testified at the trial, has said while she met Azano she was unaware of the illegal donations to her campaign or an independent committee Azano set up on her behalf.


    Guadalupe Valencia, Chase’s attorney, said that his client has paid $180,000 in fines to state and local agencies stemming from his illegal conduct.


    “Mr. Chase has already suffered substantial consequences for his conduct,” Valencia said. “He’s remorseful. Any further punishment would not have served the interests of the criminal justice system.”


    Azano and the other defendants have yet to be sentenced. A hearing on motions seeking a new trial is set for April.

    http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...113-story.html

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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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