A Massachusetts businessman who once ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, was convicted Friday on charges that he accepted illegal campaign contributions and used campaign funds for business expenses and debts, federal prosecutors said Friday.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts said that Abhijit "Beej'' Das, 50, of North Andover, Mass., was convicted of one count of accepting excessive campaign contributions, one count of conduit contributions, one count of conversion of campaign funds, and two counts of making a false statement.
Das ran in the 2018 Democratic primary for Massachusetts' 3rd Congressional District, the seat ultimately won by Rep. Lori Trahan. Das came in seventh place with 1,492 votes.
Prosecutors said Das schemed to circumvent federal campaign finance laws. Among the allegations was that he solicited at least $125,000 in illegal campaign contributions from friends and other close associates during his run in 2017 and 2018. He took these contributions in the form of personal loans to avoid Federal Election Commission (FEC) reporting requirements, which cap these kinds of contributions at $2,700. He then claimed the money as his own and made illegal contributions to his campaign.
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He was also accused of withdrawing about $314,500 from his campaign account and using at least $267,000 of it to pay outstanding debts for his hotel business, a yacht and real estate taxes. He made efforts to hide the transactions by asking bank tellers to report them as separate withdrawals and deposits, rather than direct transfers.
Finally, he was found to have lied in reports to the FEC, overstating the amount of money the campaign had in its accounts.
“Protecting our elections through campaign finance laws is crucial in defending transparency and accountability in our government and a well-functioning democracy,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy in a press release. “He abused the campaign finance process and thought he could get away with it. Today’s speedy verdict by the jury after two weeks of evidence should send a resounding message that the light of justice will always find its way to political candidates who break the law.”
U.S. & World
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2024. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 for each charge.
Das was also indicted on a separate case where he is accused of using escrow funds from his clients for his own personal expenses. He has pleaded not guilty in that case and a trial is pending.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
