1MDB SCANDAL

Former Trump Mega-Fundraiser Elliott Broidy Pleads Guilty to Illegal Lobbying

Elliott Broidy attempted to arrange a golf date between the Malaysian prime minister and President Donald Trump.

Republican mega-fundraiser Elliott Broidy pleaded guilty Tuesday to illegal lobbying for attempting to use his influence to quash a federal investigation into a Malaysian bank engaged in money laundering. He’s agreed to a fine of $6.6 million and faces a prison sentence of up to five years, Bloomberg reports. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires individuals paid to lobby on behalf of foreign individuals, governments, and corporations to register with the Justice Department. Broidy attempted to arrange for the Malaysian prime minister to play golf with President Donald Trump and lobbied for the extradition of dissident Chinese businessman Guo Wengui. Goldman Sachs has also agreed to pay the Justice Department a fine of $2 billion for helping the Malaysian bank, 1MDB, raise billions.