September 7, 2007

Slippery Hsu Caught In Colorado

State and federal authorities arrested the fugitive of the year, Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, last night in Colorado. Paramedics took him off a train heading for Chicago on a backboard, and he spent the night in the hospital with an unknown illness or injury (via Memeorandum):

Fugitive political fundraiser Norman Hsu, who skipped out on San Mateo County authorities this week rather than face sentencing for a 1992 fraud conviction, was apprehended Thursday night by federal and local lawmen in Grand Junction, Colo.

Authorities said Hsu was taken into custody at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction at 7 p.m. local time. He had been on the lam for almost two days after failing to appear in a Redwood City courtroom Wednesday to surrender his passport.

Hsu was taken off a passenger train at the Grand Junction train station earlier in the day by paramedics who requested a backboard to move him, said Sgt. Lonnie Chavez with the Grand Junction Police Department.

Authorities received a request for medical assistance at the train station at about 11:15 a.m., but the exact nature of Hsu's condition was unclear, Chavez said. Staff at St. Mary's Hospital declined to comment.

The ignominious end stands in stark contrast to Hsu's status just a week ago. At that time, he hobnobbed with Howard Dean at a fundraising breakfast and counted current and former law enforcement executives Andrew Cuomo, Jerry Brown, and now-Governor Eliot Spitzer among his friends. Now he lies in a hospital bed, arrested by the FBI and facing not one but two counts of flight to avoid justice.

After fleeing across state lines, Hsu became a federal fugitive. However, according to the FBI, those federal charges will be dropped once he returns to California custody. They may want to reconsider that position; California has proven itself inept on two occasions with Hsu. The US Attorney for that region should consider keeping Hsu in federal custody while the state finishes its sentencing process. A federal judge will be much less likely to grant bail to a known bail-jumper than the San Mateo jurist who didn't see a problem with it.

Besides, it's just a matter of time before the feds will have their hooks into Hsu anyway. The Washington Post confirms today that the Department of Justice has an investigation underway to determine exactly how Hsu bundled those contributions If they find anything fishy about a postal carrier and his family donating $280,000 over three years to Democrats through a convicted con man, the three-year California stretch will just be the appetizer at Hsu's next banquet.

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Comments (30)

Posted by docjim505 | September 7, 2007 5:59 AM

I must say that I'm very surprised that he got caught. I figured he was in Mexico within a couple of hours of jumping bail and on his way back to China.

Oh, well, some idiot judge in California will doubtless give him another chance.

On a related subject, I've been thinking about Hsu, the money, and the filthy dems. Much has been made about candidates' failures to "vet" Hsu. As much as I enjoy criticizing politicians in general and filthy dems in particular, I don't see how they can really be faulted for this UNLESS there was unmistakable quid pro quo (which is another, much more serious matter). Hsu was a contributor, not their busom-I've-known-him-since-we-were-kids-buddy. Can they really be expected to have known very much about him? They all have quite a large number of contributors; do we really expect them to spend time, staff and money to investigate everybody who sends in a check? Who among us would ask too many questions if somebody gave us a check with lots of zeroes in it?

It will be interesting to see what (if anything) DoJ finds out about Hsu and HIS sources of cash. I'm not very confident that they'll find much: given who's been running DoJ these past few years, Inspector Clouseau would have a better chance of running down Hsu's finances. At least he can remember what he's trying to do.

Posted by j | September 7, 2007 6:29 AM

Just don't send him back to CA until all the papers are signed and Hsu is delivered to the respective penitentiary.

Also, TAKE HIS PASSPORT now!

Posted by Ledger1 | September 7, 2007 6:39 AM

He's going back to California? What a joke.

The Dems own California.

Posted by dhunter | September 7, 2007 6:39 AM

If someone gave me a check with lots of zeros in it I would find out where it came from and what they wanted for it, course I'm not a political whore or the other kind either, and I don't have a huge staff working for me.
Fact is same players in charge of Hitlery's run as were in charge of Bills' funny fund raising. Got away with a bundle then with huge payoff to Communist Chinese why not go for it again.
If Hsu were a Republican I doubt ANY charges would be dropped. At least he isn't in Fort Marcy Park, yet .
Hope he doesn't have Plutonium poisoning, or a bad case of arsenic poisoning from eating Hilerys' homebaked cookies.
Bye the way have you seen Monicas' boyfriend lately, looks like death warmed over, will he do the honorable thing and fall on the sword before the election so Hitlery can really play the victim. Maybe shes' been feeding him those cookies too. OK, sorry, that may have been a little over the top?

Posted by Lightwave | September 7, 2007 6:44 AM

I'm honestly impressed, I thought Hsu was never to be heard from again.

Want to bet that this Federal investigation of Hsu doesn't get underway until *after* the 2008 race?

Even better, we've been hearing how the Dems have outraised the GOP on campaign donations for most of a year now, doesn't the Hsu case pretty much throw that entire paradigm into doubt?

How much of that Democrat campaign cash, nearly all of it "bundled", is legitimate?

Posted by Kim | September 7, 2007 6:58 AM

Captain

This shud be relative:
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1301
see below for quote

military experts conclude from the way Damascus described the episode Wednesday, Sept. 6, that the Pantsyr-S1E missiles, purchased from Russia to repel air assailants, failed to down the Israeli jets accused of penetrating northern Syrian airspace from the Mediterranean the night before.

The new Pantsyr missiles therefore leave Syrian and Iranian airsp

Just letting Putin know that his electronics still suck!

Posted by Kim | September 7, 2007 7:03 AM

Sorry Captain wrong post...haven't had my coffee yet!

Kim

Posted by Clyde | September 7, 2007 7:20 AM

Ol' "Wrong-Way" Hsu must have forgotten that Hong Kong is WEST from California, not east. Then again, as any illegal alien will tell you, it's easy to hide in plain sight in America away from the borders. If I was a foreign-born felon who'd just jumped bail, though, I sure as hell wouldn't be anywhere in any American jurisdiction.

I think it's time for them to squeeze him and find out where all this money is coming from that is being funneled to Democrat candidates, from Hillary! on down. If they're being bought by the agents of a foreign power (China), then the American people damn sure have a right to know!

Posted by rbj | September 7, 2007 7:23 AM

Hsu case is getting more and more bizarrerer. Suicide attempt? I'm going to wait for more facts to come out.

Posted by Keemo | September 7, 2007 7:50 AM

Honestly folks, is this guy running from the authorities, or is he running from the realistic possibility of being added to the lengthy list of "missing" people that happen to have very damaging information on Hillary Clinton...

Posted by RD | September 7, 2007 7:53 AM

Does that mean they don't get to keep the money? We were in Grand Junction 3 weeks ago for the peach festival...great place...great eating. You have to wonder why a man on the lam who can produce $2,000,000 in cash in 5 hours was on a train? I imagine he thought he could get from there to where without being seen (private compartment) and maybe whoever gave him the money also handed him a ticket and said "get lost". For a guy who got lost for 15 years in plain sight his luck certainly seems to have run out.

Posted by Neo | September 7, 2007 8:21 AM

California has proven itself inept on two occasions with Hsu

I suggest that this time they set the bail at $500 billion dollars ($500,000,000,000.00) and then release him at LAX at the doors of Air China. At least this way some good will come of it.

Posted by RD | September 7, 2007 8:39 AM

Those train lurches can be bummers.

Posted by LuckyBogey | September 7, 2007 8:47 AM

Are you sure this is Special Agent Norman Hsu? Did he travel along? Was his passport (or passports) in his possession? How much money did he have on his person? This story is more weird each passing day.

Maybe this is his Chinese body double and the real Norman Hsu is escaping back to China? Was this Amtrak's Hsu-Hsu train?

The WaPo article was a joke and a week late. I would not depend on the MSM getting this story out there to the public.

Posted by googootz | September 7, 2007 9:13 AM

Predictions:

* He "hangs himself" in jail.

* In inmate "strangles him" to death.

* He "dies of a heart attack" in prison.

* He disappears again, and then is later "found dead, with a suicide note."

Posted by Angry Dumbo | September 7, 2007 9:24 AM

At least he isn't in Fort Marcy Park, yet .


My reaction exactly. Emphasis on yet.

Posted by RD | September 7, 2007 9:46 AM

Well LuckyBogey Maybe it was the Chattanooga Choo Hsu (Yours was better and first). If Hsu weren't Hillary's bagman you could almost feel sorry for him-he isn't safe anywhere, even among friends or in jail. Would he even be safe in Hong Kong now?

Posted by Bombast | September 7, 2007 10:07 AM

Googootz, I agree with all of your predictions. The Feds need him in custody, he's too easy to get to in state prison.

To that end - did he pay income taxes on all that money he's mysteriously gotten over the years?

Posted by danforth | September 7, 2007 10:18 AM

check out
www.fas/org/irp/congress/1998_rpt/sgo-sir/1-12.htm

committee on governmental affairs investigation of illegal activities in connection with 1996 federal election campaigns. this report relates to the dirty money from slick willie's campaign. among the bundled contributions by ted sioeng and "family" is one for $7500 to "friends of norman hsu." hsu has been part of the clinton foreign/chinese/indonesian cash machine all along. its just hillary's turn now.

Posted by RD | September 7, 2007 10:34 AM

Put yourself in his Hsus-you're a wanted man but no one seems to be interested in finding you. Over the years your hairline recedes and your eyes move to the middle of your head. You are offered a chance to deliver money to some of the biggest political (all Dems) honchos in America and you take up the offer. Soon you are moving among the princes (all Dems) of this great country and your picture is being taken with them and nothing happens. You are lulled. Then something happens and suddenly you are really, really wanted and you have no real resources to fall back on. In a moment of panic you turn yourself in for the protection that jail has to offer. But no, someone who doesn't want you protected shows up with $2,000,000 in cash and before you know it you are out of there. But wait, there's a private charter plane waiting to take you to Oakland and someone presses an Amtrac ticket in your hand and tells you where to go. And then they press a few little pills in your palm and say to take them, they will help you sleep. (And they say I lack imagination...I came up with this incredible story didn't I?)

Posted by Gary Zerman | September 7, 2007 10:49 AM

Is Hsu a U.S. citizen? If not, how can he give campaign comtributions? If so, when was he naturalized? Was it before or after his 92 plea to his million dollar fraud scheme? If after, did he disclose his legal problems (the fraud plea) on his application to become a citizen? If he did not, that's another fraud, though it should have been discovered in a background check (emphasis on should, we know INS and its successor ICE are worthless). If he did disclose, how could he become a citizen with that conviction? And shouldn't it have been discovered then that he was a flleing felon?(Explained above, INS and ICE was/is worthless.) As pointed out by others' earlier comments, who was the stupid prosecutor and stupid judge, that did not sieze his passport and put an ankle bracelet on a guy who already failed to appear and fled the jurisdiction, before he was let out of custody to flee again? Finally, so much for national security and law enforcement when this guy could hide in plain site for years. Rule of Law in America? What a joke, we are far down the path of anarchy. GLZ.

Posted by Bob Smith | September 7, 2007 10:57 AM

One of the problems I have is Hilary giving Hsu's money away to charity. She should return it! First, because Hsu owes his investors money and he should repay them. Second, because it's wrong to benefit from ill-gotten cash. Nobody will remember where Hilary got the money, only that "she's a good person who gives to charity", a clear public relations benefit.

Posted by LuckyBogey | September 7, 2007 12:05 PM

I stayed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo once! Did not find a Hsu however I think I saw Elvis.

Why is the State Department Diplomatic Security Service involved? Is Hsu protected as a diplomat? If so, what country?

Posted by pk | September 7, 2007 12:06 PM

bob smith:

no don't return hsus' money to the investors, give it to the republicans.

it campaign finances are set up so that the illegal funds are given to the opposing political entity then the recievers will be damn careful about this in the future.

C

Posted by Les Nessman | September 7, 2007 12:44 PM

" One of the problems I have is Hilary giving Hsu's money away to charity. She should return it! First, because Hsu owes his investors money and he should repay them. Second, because it's wrong to benefit from ill-gotten cash."

Amen. And not just Hillary. All the Dems who are giving this money to charity should give it back to the investors that Hsu ripped off. That would seem to be a 'charity' that everone could agree with.

And exactly which charities are getting all this money, anyway? When Hillary gives ten grand to her pet left-wing charity, does that same 'charity' decide to donate five grand to the Hillary campaign a few months later?

Isn't it illegal for these 'charities' to receive ill-gotten money? Isn't that just money laundering?

Posted by KJBtruth | September 7, 2007 2:32 PM

I think that the democrats are being thuggish and repulsive on this.

Hsu was never sentenced. He faced 3 years in prison AND being made to repay the victims. Since he fled, he never was order to repay.

ALL the monies he personally contributed should be forfeited not to charity but to the victims fund so that those people can get at least some of their money back.

If it turns out that he was in fact reimbursing payments, then ALL of that money as well should be used for the victims of his crime(s).

My primary concern is that all of the foreign nationals he is involved with, many of the front persons for his contributions will be gone already. The shady connections will be unraveling quickly as the Chinese involved scatter and flee.

As I have said before, I want a complete and thorough investigation, WITH punishments for China if in fact it can be shown that they are trying to influence American elections.

Hillary alone took 2 MILLION dollars in bundled money. This asshat Hsu has financed Dems all over the country. In my own home state of Wisconsin, he gave several thousand to our own corrupt governor (Doyle) and also the Wisconsin DNC. That is the case all over the country.

There had BETTER be a lot of folks going to jail over this. If not it is BUSH's fault. Where is the FBI? FEC? I want to see complete investigations into these "bundlers".

Makes me want to throw up....

Posted by Peggy Snow Cahill | September 7, 2007 2:51 PM

Is it just me, or does the Colorado/China connection seem to reek of Maurice Strong? He's been hiding out in China these days, I believe. I think Hsu's one of his goons.

Posted by patrick neid | September 7, 2007 8:55 PM

if he's connected to the chinese, the chinese are slipping. time for the waterboard!

Posted by Legion | September 7, 2007 9:52 PM

Some things the media should be following and telling the American people.

Who posted his bail? That paper trail may find a dead end, somewhere past the International Dateline.

Why the "run for it" by a guy so well connected? All the Republican corrupt donors, at least stick around for the legal proceedings.

While the press is investigating, however timidly, can they find out where do these "charitable donations" go, once the politicians are caught in the act and become so charitable?

Anyone who has to give up the illegal donations made by Mr. Hsu should give it the the federal government. Put the money in with all the federal matching funds for campaigns. This is fair, because it contributes to the charity whose members are hurt most by their behavior...the American Citizens.

Posted by Xango Annie | September 8, 2007 12:21 AM

Didn't Mz. Klintoon..just announce that she was giving it to HILLPAC...sorry , I do not consider this a charity...

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