Boo Hsu

Mr. Hsu now is back in California, in a 7-by-10-foot cell on the medical floor of the Brendan P. McGuire Correctional Facility in Redwood City. His wardrobe consists of orange jumpsuits. From his tiny window, he can see trees outside.

That's the close of the Wall Street Journal article on Norman Hsu detailing a twisted life of scam after scam. Also a big, big fundraiser for Hillary Clinton and a lot of other Democrats.

An in-depth look at Mr. Hsu's peculiar rise and abrupt fall reveals a man consumed with a desire to gain respect and wealth, even as his scattershot business ventures failed at every turn. In politics, he found everything he seemed to be looking for — glamorous friends, acclaim and a measure of credibility that he used to help attract investors to his dubious business pitches.

His business failures and resulting deceptions required him to construct a facade. To those who met him, he seemed a success, filled with confidence, warmth, generosity and sincerity. But he was dogged by lawsuits and angry creditors, once outwitting an intimidating debt collector nicknamed "Shrimp Boy" by telling police he was being kidnapped. He would tap one circle of friends, then disappear, only to turn up later with new friends and new funding.

Politics was a world where his schmoozing and fund-raising talents were powerful currency. He became a "bundler," someone who could induce hundreds of acquaintances to donate. Bundling has emerged as a major source of U.S. campaign-finance abuse, and Mr. Hsu was in the thick of it.

He befriended Mrs. Clinton and other Democrats, decorating his SoHo loft with their photos. He displayed a saxophone autographed by former President Bill Clinton, bought for $26,000 at a Red Cross benefit. He sported a chocolate-brown leather bomber jacket with the presidential seal. "Bill Clinton gave this to me," he told Mr. Waters.

The story is not at all sympathetic, maintaining a neutral tone throughout. But this is the portrait of a very shady operator who lived by the scam. He was very good at fooling people and he took advantage of pretty much everyone he ever did business with. Hsu was the top bundler for Hillary Clinton. She apparently treated him as a friend - at least a political one, appearing via closed circuit television at a party he threw.