Babulal Bera, photo courtesy Sac Bee.
AP Report
Babulal Bera, a resident of La Palma, pleaded guilty in May to making excessive campaign contributions and making contributions in someone else’s name.
The father of a California congressman was sentenced Thursday to a year and a day in federal prison after prosecutors said he illegally funneled nearly $270,000 in contributions to his son’s campaigns.
A federal judge also fined Bera $100,000 for violating federal election laws, according to the U. S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento.
Democratic U. S. Rep. Ami Bera, D-Folsom, was not charged and has denied knowing about his father’s activities. Prosecutors said they have found no evidence he was involved.
Bera is running for a third term against Republican Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones.
He acknowledged he arranged for friends, relatives and acquaintances to contribute more than $225,000 to his son’s failed 2010 campaign for a House seat and then illegally reimbursing the donors.
He did it again with more than $43,000 for his son’s successful 2012 campaign, when Ami Bera defeated Republican Rep. Dan Lungren on the second try.
“This is one of the most difficult moments my family has ever experienced, ” Ami Bera said in a statement. “Of course I’m absolutely devastated and heartbroken for how today’s decision will impact our entire family. But my father’s accepted what he did was wrong, he’s taken responsibility, and I love him more than words can express. ”
Investigators found more than 130 improper campaign contributions involving about 90 contributors, according to a plea agreement in the case. Campaign officials said they reimbursed the U. S. Treasury for the amount of the illegal donations.
Prosecutors sought the one-year prison term, while probation officers and defense attorneys said the 83-year-old Bera should be spared incarceration because of his age, poor health and because his 82-year-old wife could not live without him.
There is a lot of corruption in the voting system.
How about all the people who vote in elections, and use multiple aliases or names. Cast multiple votes, using their maiden name, their married name, and their name from another country and their name in USA. No brainier, many cities are getting more voters, then are registered to vote.
Cerritos has many voters who are parachute Voters, they come in to Cerritos, register for election, never live in the district, then after the election, they withdraw from voting, so they don’t have to serve jury duty. Professional parachute voters between A-Z Cities.
Many of the polling precincts do not open the hours they’re supposed to ( Polling Hours) , and a lot of the ballots are never accounted for, because absentee voters get screwed up in the mail, or other delivery problems. Some places in the district- county, as hi as 20% voters are not tallied, because of glitches.
Lets not forget the candidates who door knock to hand pick up absentee ballots and fail to deliver the ballots for official counting by certifications.
Then there is the famous USPO, candidate send brochures out via USPO and the post office holds the mail in the back room, until after elections. Then comes the ghost hit mail, traced back to phony PO Box number.
There is a lot of corruption in the voting system.
Money laundering for campaigns, this does not address all of the international cash, which goes to advertising, by third parties or ghost vendors, to blow a candidate in to winning seat!!! Many unions and international government are guilty of ghost sponsoring.
In the city of La Palma, seen many candidates out in the field, after mid night, stealing signs legally planted advertisements. Then we have ye olde Cerritos Code Enforcement Officers, which illegally remove yard signs from private property and thro expensive campaign advertising signs in the trash cans.