Posted on 09/15/2007 11:05:42 PM PDT by neverdem
Norman Hsu was desperate for invitations to glitzy Democratic Party galas in California and private political dinners in New York. But once he got in, Mr. Hsu, a 56-year-old apparel executive, seemed awkward and out of place, almost astonished to be posing for pictures with former President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and other big-name Democrats.
He gave generously, showering money on a wide array of national, state and local politicians. But he stood out in the symbiotic world of campaign finance because he appeared to want nothing in return other than a few powerful friends, according to Democratic fund-raisers in New York and California who knew him.
What those friends did not know, however, was that Mr. Hsu was running from a 15-year-old arrest warrant for a fraud conviction and a hidden past of bankruptcy. And his political donations helped to bolster his image as a man to do business with.
He was a compulsive name-dropper who even took time to befriend campaign workers, pulling strings to get them reservations at tough-table restaurants like Nobu in Manhattan.
His political activities came to occupy such a central role in his life that when he composed a suicide note last week while running from the authorities, he specified that his funeral arrangements should be handled by a young former Democratic Party staffer who once coordinated fund-raising in New York, although he had not been in touch with her in more than a year.
Like the deep-pocketed gamblers who are the targets of Las Vegas casinos, Mr. Hsu was quickly recognized by dozens of Democratic campaigns as a soft-touch cash machine, and they tapped into his largess without investigating the source of his wealth. Mr. Hsu was so eager to please that he was racing to become the first person to...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
That was funny!
bump
:-)
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