'Mercenary' donor gets 12 years in campaign finance scheme
Federal prosecutors described Zuberi, who reports to prison May 25, as a โmercenaryโ political donor who gave to anyone he thought could help him. Pay to play, he explained to clients, was just โhow America work(s).โProsecutors asked U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips for a stiff sentence, calling the scope of Zuberi's scheme unprecedented. AdPhillips noted the sophistication of Zuberi's straw donor scheme and also spoke of the role such campaign finance investigations play in preserving the integrity of American elections. AdThe trove of court documents offered new details about how prosecutors unraveled Zuberiโs scheme and also include photographs of him rubbing shoulders with then-Vice President Biden and other prominent officeholders. Zuberi secretly lobbied the Trump White House and Congress on behalf of the small gas-rich monarchy, which has paid him $9.8 million, prosecutors have alleged in court papers.