Conservative Commentator D'Souza Pleads Guilty to Election-Law Charges
Admits to Funneling $20,000 in Illegal Contributions to GOP Senate Candidate
By CHRISTOPHER M. MATTHEWS
May 20, 2014 11:17 a.m. ET
Dinesh D'Souza, a conservative commentator and former college president, pleaded guilty Tuesday to funneling $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions to a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in a case that had drawn accusations of political targeting.
Mr. D'Souza had pleaded not guilty in January, saying at the time he didn't dispute the facts but disagreed with prosecutors' assessment he had violated federal election laws. He had also argued he was being targeted by the Justice Department for being a Republican.
He reversed that position Tuesday, saying in court that he knew what he did was wrong.
"I deeply regret my conduct," Mr. D'Souza said.
A federal grand jury in Manhattan indicted him in January for allegedly making illegal contributions, funneling $20,000 to Wendy Long, the Republican candidate who unsuccessfully challenged Democratic incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand, New York's junior senator.
Prosecutors alleged Tuesday that Mr. D'Souza had misled Ms. Long about the contributions, and that she would have testified against him if the case had gone to trial.
A lawyer for Mr. D'Souza, Benjamin Brafman, had argued previously that the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, appointed by President Barack Obama, had engaged in "selective" prosecution by targeting a Republican. Prosecutors pushed back, citing several similar cases they had brought against Democrats.
U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman ruled last week that prosecutors had not engaged in selective prosecution.
Mr. Brafman said in a statement Tuesday there was no "viable defense" for Mr. D'Souza because of the technical nature of the case.
"We are hopeful that Judge Berman will recognize Mr. D'Souza to be a fundamentally honorable man who should not be imprisoned for what was an isolated instance of wrongdoing in an otherwise productive and responsible life," Mr. Brafman said.
Mr. D'Souza, an outspoken critic of the Obama administration, is a former policy adviser to President Ronald Reagan and later served as a fellow at American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. He also served as the president of The King's College in New York City, a small Christian college, from 2010 to 2012.
Under campaign finance laws, individuals were limited to making a total contribution of $5,000 to any individual candidate in 2012.
According to prosecutors, Mr. D'Souza directed two close associates to contribute $20,000 to Ms. Long's senatorial campaign, and then reimbursed those individuals.
In 2012, Mr. D'Souza gave $5,000 in contributions to Ms. Long, according to Federal Election Commission records. He also campaigned on her behalf, and the two attended Dartmouth College together. Ms. Long, who hasn't been accused of wrongdoing, couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
Write to Christopher M. Matthews at christopher.matthews@wsj.com
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