Sant Singh Chatwal, Election Campaign Spending Limits Evasion Scheme and Witness Tampering, New York 2023

Grimy Times has learned that Sant Singh Chatwal, a 70-year-old hotel magnate, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act by making more than $180,000 in federal campaign donations to three candidates through straw donors who were reimbursed and to witness tampering. The scheme allegedly took place in the Eastern District of New York.

According to court documents, Chatwal used straw donors to secretly funnel money to political campaigns so that he could gain access to the politicians. He also coerced another person to hide his crime, attempting to undermine both election laws and the system of justice.

Chatwal's scheme sought to subvert the very purpose of the Election Act, which limits the amount and source of money that can be contributed to a federal candidate or to an individual candidate’s political campaign committee and multi-candidate political campaign committees, commonly referred to as “political action committees” (PACs).

The Election Act limits primary and general election campaign contributions in a calendar year to $2,400 per campaign, for a total of $4,800, from any one individual to any one candidate. Chatwal allegedly made campaign contributions in excess of these limits through straw donors who were reimbursed.

Chatwal agreed to forfeit $1 million to the United States as part of his plea agreement with the government. The guilty plea proceeding took place before United States District Judge I. Leo Glasser of the Eastern District of New York.

“Chatwal went to great lengths to undermine both election laws and our system of justice,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. O’Neil. “Today’s guilty plea shows our vigilance and determination to prosecute those who damage the integrity of elections by masking the true sources of campaign contributions.”

Sant Singh Chatwal, the defendant/respondent, is a businessman operating several restaurants, hotels, and a hotel management company in New York. The exact date of the crime is not specified, but the guilty plea proceeding took place before United States District Judge I. Leo Glasser of the Eastern District of New York. The outcome of the case is that Sant Singh Chatwal pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act by making more than $180,000 in federal campaign donations to three candidates through straw donors who were reimbursed and to witness tampering.

The mandatory facts of this case include the defendant/respondent's REAL full name or legal entity name (Sant Singh Chatwal), exact criminal charges (conspiring to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act by making more than $180,000 in federal campaign donations to three candidates through straw donors who were reimbursed and to witness tampering), city and state (New York), exact date (not specified), sentence or outcome (pleaded guilty), and dollar amounts where applicable ($180,000 and $1 million).

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/hotel-magnate-pleads-guilty-federal-election-campaign-spending-limits-evasion-scheme-and