Dinesh D’Souza, the conservative hero who swore up and down that he was an innocent man falsely accused and arrested because he spoke out against the Obama administration, went to court today and pled guilty!
Dinesh D’Souza told a federal judge on Tuesday that he “deeply” regretted violating a federal campaign finance law, and that he knew that what he did had been wrong, during a hearing in which the conservative author pleaded guilty to making more than $10,000 of contributions in the names of others.
“I knew that making a campaign contribution in the name of another was wrong and something the law forbids,” D’Souza told U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan, according to The New York Times. “I deeply regret my conduct.”
“Are you pleading guilty to this crime because you are in fact guilty of it?” Berman asked in response.
“Yes, your honor,” D’Souza said.
Prosecutors in January accused D’Souza of using straw donors to contribute $20,000 to the campaign of Wendy Long, a Republican attorney and old friend of D’Souza’s who in 2012 lost to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). In addition to the one count of making more than $10,000 of contributions in the names of others, D’Souza was charged with one count of causing false statements. According to Reuters, the false statements charge is expected to be dismissed at D’Souza’s sentencing.