Conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza is set to be arraigned at noon ET on Friday in a Manhattan federal courthouse after being charged with campaign finance fraud.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara announced the charges against D’Souza on Thursday. He was charged with one count of making more than $10,000 of contributions in the names of others and one count of causing false statements.
D’Souza faces a maximum of seven years in prison. He will appear before Judge Richard Berman.
According to an indictment filed by Bharara, D’Souza allegedly made contributions in the other people’s names to a U.S. Senate candidate in 2012. The indictment didn’t name the candidate, but TPM has confirmed it was Republican contender Wendy Long, who lost to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
The indictment said D’Souza “reimbursed others with whom he was associated and who he had directed to contribute a total of $20,000 to the campaign.”
D’Souza’s attorney released a statement on Thursday night defending his client.
“Mr. D’Souza did not act with any corrupt or criminal intent whatsoever,” the statement said. “He and the candidate have been friends since their college days, and at worst, this was an act of misguided friendship by D’Souza.”
