Who Is Hsu? Captured Fundraiser Didn’t Vote

Mysterious Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu is in custody again, after a brief return to a fugitive lifestyle he maintained for 15 years. But new questions are cropping up about his past. The latest puzzle: Despite funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars into Democratic coffers, Norman Hsu is not a member of the Democratic party. In fact, records appear to reflect he isn’t even registered to vote. Hsu’s name does not appear on voter rolls in either California, where Hsu lived in the 1980s and early 1990s, or in New York, where he lived more recently, according to documents and state officials. THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS Blotter Dem Fundraiser on the Lam — Again Blotter Dem Fundraiser Turns Himself In World News Video Fugitive Fundraiser Click Here to Check Out Brian Ross Slideshows After news accounts last month exposed the criminal past of the tireless fundraiser, who had donated and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Hillary Clinton and a host of other Democratic candidates, Hsu turned himself in — only to skip out on $2 million bail. He was nabbed by the FBI in Colorado last night and is being held in federal custody. Officials say he will be returned to California for sentencing. Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage. Hsu, reportedly a naturalized U.S. citizen, would have been eligible to vote, say experts, even after his 1992 conviction on a fraud-related felony charge. While California and New York state laws bar imprisoned and paroled felons from voting, Hsu was never sentenced for his 1992 felony conviction. Hsu skipped out on his sentencing hearing, returning to court only last week — before skipping out again. For those 15 years, "he was in a gray area," said Ryan King, a policy analyst with the nonprofit Sentencing Project, which studies state and federal incarceration policies. According to the laws, "he was eligible to vote until the moment he’s sentenced to prison or parole." Strange details abound in Hsu’s biography. Before his trial, Hsu was the victim of a kidnapping reportedly tied to a Chinese gang in the San Francisco bay area. After dodging his 1992 hearing, Hsu is believed to have returned to his native Hong Kong for several years. Details of his businesses remain sketchy. Upon investigation, many of his recent business addresses appear to be little more than mail drops, despite the thousands of dollars those companies reportedly helped generate for Hsu that bankrolled his donations. Many donations Hsu harvested for his Democratic politician friends came from people who, like himself, were not registered to vote. Some political finance experts have noted the families did not appear wealthy enough to afford the big-money checks they reportedly wrote to Clinton and others. Hsu’s spokesman did not respond to a request for comment from the Blotter on ABCNews.com. Hsu and the donors have denied wrongdoing and say the donations were all legal. Clinton’s campaign said it has donated to charity the money it received directly from Hsu. Many other campaigns have followed suit. Now in custody, Hsu is being held without bail and facing years behind bars. Once he’s sentenced to prison, California will take away his right to the ballot which he apparently never exercised. In perhaps an ironic twist, the state won’t take away his right to make political donations, Ryan said. State law does not prohibit felons from contributing to political campaigns, leaving Hsu free to continue funneling thousands of dollars to candidates and groups of his choice. "If a candidate wants to accept it, that’s a different story," Ryan noted. Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?