A high-end car dealer in San Diego, Calif. pled guilty in federal court Thursday to eight misdemeanor counts of breaking campaign finance law.
Marc Chase, owner of Symbolic Motor Cars, funneled half a million dollars into political campaigns for a foreign billionaire looking to influence local elections.
He admitted to making campaign contributions with cash paid to him by Mexican billionaire Jose Susumo Azano. It is illegal for foreign nationals to donate money to U.S. political campaigns. Chase used friends and employees to disperse the money in $500 increments to local election campaigns.
Prosecutors say Azano was attempting to buy his way into building a high-rise development on the San Diego bayfront.
Chase will be sentenced at a hearing scheduled for November 13. He faces eight years in prison and $800,000 in fine.
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