Maria Hsia is a political figure who was convicted in early 2001, by a Federal District Court. She was found guilty of laundering donations to the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

by the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple in Hacienda Heights,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, during the

1996 U.S. presidential election The 1996 United States presidential election was the 53rd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton defeated former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the Republican nomine ...

. The judge, Paul Friedman, denied a request from the U.S. Department of Justice that Ms. Hsia should serve prison time, and instead sentenced her to 90 days' home detention, probation, a fine, and community service. Born in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

, Hsia came to the United States as a student in 1973 and received a permanent resident visa in 1975. Originally, she worked for immigration law firms in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. In 1982, Hsia began fund-raising for political candidates in state and local races. In 1988, her work for then

Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy's

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

campaign introduced Hsia to national politics. She eventually became a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.

References

External links

*Suro, Roberto
"Gore's Ties to Hsia Cast Shadow on 2000 Race"
''Washington Post'', February 23, 1998 *Eskenazi, Michael

''CNN.com'', March 3, 2000

''Washington Post'', March 8, 1998 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hsia, Maria Date of birth missing (living people) Living people 1996 United States presidential election People convicted of money laundering Taiwanese emigrants to the United States Year of birth missing (living people)

See also

References

External links