Imaad Zuberi (born 1970) is a Pakistani-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, philanthropist political fundraiser, and convicted felon.[1] He is a partner in Avenue Ventures[2] and has written about foreign investments.[3] Among his major investments is the Al Areen Palace & Spa resort in Bahrain.[2] He pleaded guilty in October 2019 to violating lobbying, campaign finance and tax laws through campaign contributions to members of both parties and was sentenced to twelve years in prison in February 2021.[4][5]

Education

Zuberi was born in Pakistan and moved to the United States with his parents at the age of three.[6]

He earned a BSc in 1997 from the University of Southern California.

Biography

Zuberi is vice president of strategic development for Manhattan Street Capital and runs its FundAthena (2015–present).[7] He also serves as vice president of Avenue Ventures and previously was vice president of strategy and market/corporate development at AEGON Group.[8]

He was a top fundraiser for President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign[9] and in 2015 was listed as a "Hillblazer," as those who raised at least $100,000 for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign were known.[10] In 2017, Zuberi contributed $900,000 to Donald Trump's presidential inaugural committee.[11] On February 4, 2019, federal prosecutors in New York subpoenaed communications between Zuberi and the Inaugural Committee as part of a broader investigation that included fraud and money laundering.[12]

Zuberi has supported the Smithsonian National Museum of American History,[13] the Clinton Foundation[10] and UCLA.[14] He also supported Democrat Terry McAuliffe's 2013 Virginia gubernatorial campaign[15] and the Organizing for Action advocacy group.[16]

He has advised the Chinese government on economic policy[8] and the Sri Lanka government.[11]

On October 22, 2019, Zuberi agreed to plead guilty to charges of falsifying records of his work as a foreign agent, tax evasion, and making nearly $1 million in illegal campaign contributions. Court documents alleged that Zuberi sought contributions from individuals in Bahrain and Sri Lanka, but instead kept the majority of the money for himself.[17][4] On February 18, 2021, a federal judge sentenced Zuberi to twelve years in prison for falsifying records to conceal his foreign lobbying of high-level U.S. government officials. He was also fined $1.75 million and ordered to pay the government $15.7 million in restitution.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Fundraiser for Trump and Obama sentenced to 12 years in prison for foreign money scams". Los Angeles Times. February 19, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Al Areen Palace & Spa continues expansion with holding company and Avenue Ventures". AMEinfo. October 20, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  3. ↑ Chen, Baizhu; Zuberi, Imaad (September 29, 2015). "Why China's stock market panic is overdone". Fortune. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Vogel, Kenneth P. (October 22, 2019). "Major Backer of Trump and Democrats, Will Plead Guilty to Illegal Donations". New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Investor who donated nearly $1M to Trump inauguration sentenced to 12 years in prison". NBC News.
  6. ↑ Iqbal, Anwar (February 20, 2021). "Pakistani American venture capitalist gets 12 years imprisonment". DAWN.COM. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  7. ↑ "What Is Manhattan Street Capital". Manhattan Street Capital. Manhattan Street Capital. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Who We Are". America Abroad Media. America Abroad Media. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  9. ↑ Allison, Bill (August 28, 2015). "Elite Fundraiser for Obama(when President Barack Obama was reelected in 2012, a Saudi tycoon and his business associate sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to the U.S. to help pay for the inaugural celebration and get a picture with the president, according to court documents and an analysis of campaign finance records by The Associated Press) and Clinton Linked to Justice Department Probe". Foreign Policy.
  10. 1 2 Westwood, Sarah (July 17, 2015). "Most Hillary bundlers also gave to Clinton Foundation". Washington Examiner. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Confessore, Nicholas; Fandos, Nicholas; Shorey, Rachel (April 19, 2017). "Trump Inaugural Drew Big Dollars From Donors With Vested Interests". New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  12. ↑ Helderman, Rosalind (February 4, 2019). "Federal prosecutors issue sweeping subpoena for documents from Trump inaugural committee, a sign of a deepening criminal probe". Washington Post.
  13. ↑ "Innovations Highlights Report 2013" (PDF). National Museum of American History. National Museum of American History.
  14. ↑ "California Collaborates". Centennial Campaign for UCLA. UCLA. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  15. ↑ Sluss, Michael (December 31, 2013). "Top Republicans heavily finance Octavia Johnson's effort". Roanoke Times.
  16. ↑ Blumenthal, Paul (April 12, 2013). "Organizing For Action Donors List Features Loyal Democratic Funders". HuffPost.
  17. ↑ "Campaign Fundraiser Agrees to Plead Guilty to Falsifying Records to Conceal Work as Foreign Agent, Evading Taxes on Income Obtained by Lobbying on Behalf of Foreign Entities, and Illegal Campaign Contributions". United States Department of Justice. October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
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