LOS ANGELES — A Southern California venture capitalist who contributed $900,000 to former President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Imaad Shah Zuberi was also fined $1.75 million and ordered to pay $15.7 million in restitution, following a hearing in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday, Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office there, said in an emailed statement.
Zuberi, who ran the venture capital firm Avenue Ventures, solicited foreign nationals and representatives of foreign governments for money, which he used to hire lobbyists and public relations people and to make campaign contributions to both Republicans and Democrats, according to prosecutors. He also pocketed money from foreign sources for his personal use, prosecutors said.
Zuberi faced a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars. Defense lawyer Matthew Kussman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the sentence.
