Conservative writer and flimmaker Dinesh D’Souza was sentenced on Tuesday to five years of probation by a federal judge after admitting earlier this year that he illegally funneled cash to Republican Wendy Long during her failed U.S. Senate bid in 2012.
D’Souza will serve the first eight months of the sentence in a community confinement center — similar to a halfway house — in his hometown of San Diego, according to Reuters. He will then have to participate in community service one day per week for the remainder of the term. He was also fined $30,000.
Back in May, D’Souza, 53, pleaded guilty to charges that he asked two associates and their wives to donate a total of $20,000 to Long’s Senate campaign in New York. D’Souza reimbursed them illegally, as individual campaign contributions are capped at $5,000 per individual.
Long ended up losing the race to Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.
D’Souza’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said D’Souza and Long have been friends since college and that Long was unaware that anything illegal had taken place. Brafman also argued that D’Souza was targeted because of his outspoken criticism of President Obama.
