WASHINGTON: Lalit H. Gadhia, 75yearold immigration lawyer and former campaign treasurer to governor of Maryland Parris N.Glendening, has pleaded guilty in a US district Court to an ¢lection year scheme to distribute more than $46,000 in illegal Congressional campaign contributions. The money came from a Turmer diplomat in the Indian embassy in Washington.
In all, 19 Democratic candidates nationwide got the money shortly before the 1994 elections through a ‘Network of prominent IndianAmenican businessman in Maryland, their families and employees of their companies. Under American Federal Election Commission rules it is illegal for noncitizens to make political contributions or for anyone to make donations in another person’s name. The U,S. Federal office who received contributions include prominent senators such as Paul Sarbanes (Maryland), Charles Robb (Virginia), Congressmen Benjamin Cardin (Maryland), Stony Hoyer (Maryland), Gary Ackerman (New York) and Mr. Brown of Ohio.
Ina statement of facts filed in court, Prosecutor Joseph Evans said Mr, ‘(Gadhia arranged with a PACT he Indian American Leadership Investment Pound to raise contributions from people interested in supporting Congressional candidates “friendly to Indian issues” such as trade and military assistance, If convicted, Mr. Gadhia could face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Sentencing is scheduled for this summer. According 10 the court.
Mr, Gadhia and his friend’s faceted checks, some for St 000 from dozens of “straw contributors,”
Most were members of the Indian American community in the Baltimore area, including waiters, busboys and kitchen helpers at Indian restaurants, according to the statement.
‘The contributors, the statement said, were reimbursed in cash by an Indian embassy official. The official was identified as Devender Singh, who was then the minister for personnel 4nd community affairs at the Indian embassy in Washington. Mr. Singh Was returned to India and is reportedly g high ranking police official in Rajasthan, Embassy Spokesman Shiv MI Foci, and minister for press and infer maintained that the embassy always scrupulously “acts within the bounds of diplomatic property.”
The, allegations of wrongdoing involving Mr, Gadhia, who originally hails from Bombay, stunned Baltimore’s closely-knit Indian American community. It was splashed on the front page by the city’s leading paper The Baltimore Sun and it provided additional grist to that mill for well-known India baiters such as Republican Dan Burton, One of his aides was quoted as saying:” Wearer very concerned about political activities at the Indian Embassy. We feel very strongly that it should stay out of political races.”
Officially, India has not made any comments; The Sun quoted one official privately as categorizing the affair as a “fumbling start” at India’s aliment to imitates the formidable. Clout yielded on Capitol Hill by countries such as Greece and Israel.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 15, 1996
