New York, June 3 - Indo-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, who has pleaded guilty to illegally donating thousands of dollars to American political campaigns, has requested a US court to adjourn the sentencing date to October from July to prepare necessary legal brief.
In a submission before US District Judge I Leo Glasser, lawyer Jonathan Sack yesterday requested an "adjournment of the sentencing" from July 31 to around October 23, citing the need for more time to gather relevant information for Chatwal's pre-sentence report and sentencing submissions on his behalf.
Sack said Chatwal has lived in India, Ethiopia as well as the US and "gathering information about his background and substantial activities at those locations has proved time-consuming." Sack said the alternative date in October was agreeable to federal prosecutors.
Chatwal, 70, a Padma Bhushan awardee and major fund raiser for former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act by making more than $180,000 in federal campaign donations to three candidates through straw donors who were reimbursed and to witness tampering.
Chatwal is free on a $750,000 bail and has surrendered his passport.
Prosecutors also said Chatwal tampered with a witness in June 2012, more than two years after a grand jury investigation had been launched.
"Mr. Chatwal deeply regrets his actions and accepts full responsibility for the consequences," said Lesley Bogdanow, a spokeswoman for Chatwal. "He looks forward to resolving this personal matter."
Bogdanow and Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch declined to identify the candidates who received the improper donations.
Chatwal was released on $750,000 bail. Glasser scheduled the sentencing for July 31.
The case is U.S. v. Chatwal, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 14-cr-00143.
