Chatwal sentenced to 3 years' probation for violating poll laws

Rejecting the prosecution's demand for a jail term, a federal judge in New York has sentenced prominent Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal to three years probation and a $500,000 fine on charges of illegally donating thousands of dollars to political campaigns. 70-year-old Chatwal's lawyers asked the court to weigh his age and "lifetime of contribution" to others and the impact the imprisonment would have on his family and community in sentencing him. Chatwal, a major fundraiser for likely 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had pleaded guilty in April this year to violating the Federal Election Campaign Act by making more than $180,000 in campaign donations to three candidates through straw donors and to witness tampering.