Democrat campaign finance bungler bundler Norman Hsu was apprehended last night in Grand Junction, Colorado as a result of being an Amtrak passenger. It seems that Hsu took so ill during his voyage that the paramedics were summoned.
Amtrak personnel [sic] took him to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo., a hospital spokesman said.Schadenfraude on the Right is running deep this morning.There, he was arrested by the FBI a few hours later on a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He was expected to appear before a federal magistrate-judge as early as this morning, pending his likely extradition back to California.
When I first heard that Hsu had been caught and about his mode of transportation, I wondered about the route of the train. A Rocky Mountain News/AP report implies that the train's endpoint was Denver. But whether Denver was the endpoint of the train or not, it would be interesting to discover what Hsu's planned route of escape had been. I'm thinking that Hsu might have been trying to reach a place where he could avail himself of the bustling business that is human smuggling.
And, okay, yes, I'm laughing also.
UPDATE: The termination point of the California Zepher route--Hsu's train--is Chicago.
UPDATE: More from the San Jose Mercury News:
Hsu was traveling on Train #6, according to Cliff Cole, an Amtrak spokesman. Hsu boarded the train in Emeryville [CA] and was scheduled to get off the train in Denver, Cole said. Cole had no information as to who - if anyone - Hsu may have been traveling with.
What's in Denver? Why, a sizeable human trafficking network.
[Colorado State] Representative [Alice] Borodkin [D] cited that human trafficking is the third largest money maker for organized crime activities in Colorado.Hsu was looking to flee the country on the down-low.
UPDATE: How did Hsu's 1992 felony conviction affect his legal resident status?Hsu's disappearing act seemed to be a reprise of a move he pulled 15 years ago, when he failed to show up for sentencing in the same grand theft case. Hsu was facing up to three years in state prison, a $10,000 fine and restitution payments after pleading no contest to a single count of grand theft in what prosecutors described as a $1 million fraud scheme.
But while free on bail after his plea, Hsu dropped from sight for 15 years, apparently spending time in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan, only to emerge in recent years as a seemingly wealthy New York resident who donated generously to Democratic political campaigns, regularly attended fundraisers and was photographed with party leaders.(Emphasis mine.)
Is Hsu an illegal alien?
My fault. Hsu is a naturalized citizen. I still don't know whether the felony conviction can affect his citizenship status or whether it did.
(Thanks to Hot Air)
PREVIOUSLY:
Hsu Really Missing This Time
"Hillraiser" is Fugitive
Despite all of his problems with the law, I don't think he's *ever* left the country.
People have this weird belief that the US government is some kind of super-competent omnipresent entity.
The man could have simply gotten a good haircut and hid somewhere and no one would have found him.
Colorado may be big into human trafficing, but it seems to be trafficing Mexicans in.
Posted by: ErikZ | September 07, 2007 at 10:38 AM
Well, that's a knock against the theory that he's Chinese intelligence. Wouldn't their covert exit channels run out of the West coast somewhere? Or up the coast to Vancouver?
Posted by: Chuckg | September 07, 2007 at 10:54 AM
Obviously. However, that doesn't mean that the traffickers are confining themselves to transporting Mexicans alone nor to in-bound traffic--especially for the right price.
One of the main reasons that many people opposed CIR was the likelihood that Jihadis were taking the opportunity to steal over the border among said Mexicans.
Posted by: baldilocks | September 07, 2007 at 10:54 AM
Well, I figure it's one of two scenarios...
1. He's always had a hidey-hole somewhere in the States for when the SHTF.
2. He has a comfortable way out of the States already planned. That train trip was a good idea.
Any news on what was wrong with him?
Posted by: ErikZ | September 07, 2007 at 03:21 PM
Caught on a Hsu Hsu train. How fitting. (Sorry. Couldn't resist.)
Posted by: Bill Faith | September 07, 2007 at 07:06 PM
Now if we could just get rid of Hitlery we could truly say...
...the other Hsu has dropped.
Posted by: wayne | September 07, 2007 at 09:04 PM