Author and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, known for his documentaries critical of President Obama, must continue for another four years the community-service portion of his sentence for campaign-finance violations, a federal judge ruled Monday in Manhattan.
As WND reported, D’Souza was released from nightly detention at a work-release center in San Diego May 31 after eight months. During that time, he taught English once a week to Spanish-speaking applicants for American citizenship.
His lawyers argued that the community service ended with his release from nightly detention. But U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said Monday the intent of his sentencing was for the weekly Spanish lessons in San Diego to continue for the remainder of his five-year probation.
As WND reported, after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations, D’Souza was sentenced in September to eight months in a work-release center, five years of probation, a $30,000 fine and community service. He pleaded guilty in May 2014 to arranging “straw donors” to contribute $10,000 to the failed 2012 U.S. Senate campaign of Wendy Long, a college friend.
Berman also said Monday his ordered psychological counseling must continue, because he assessed that D’Souza continued to demonstrate arrogance regarding his case.
D’Souza’s supporters contend the case was politically motivated payback for his two successful documentaries and companion bestselling books critical of Obama and what D’Souza regards as an anti-American ideology.
His lawyers argued the psychologist believes counseling is no longer necessary. But Berman ordered the assignment of a new psychologist and said he would review the matter at the next hearing, Oct. 8.
D’Souza wants to travel to his home country of India to visit his mother, who is ill, but Berman said he won’t be able to leave the U.S. until his first year of community service is completed.
D’Souza’s film “2016: Obama’s America” was released during the 2012 presidential campaign and “America: Imagine the World Without Her” came out in July 2014, ahead of the midterm elections.
In his eight months of nightly confinement, he found time to sign a contract with HarperCollins and begin writing a new book to follow his 2014 New York Times bestseller, “America.” He also started the process of financing his next feature film, scheduled for the 2016 presidential campaign. And he’s designed a sequel to his highly profitable 2014 feature film, “America: Imagine the World Without Her.”
D’Souza believes he even managed to convert the approximately 100 Hispanic immigrant students he taught English as part of his community service from socialist-leaning supporters of the Democratic Party to GOP voters.
He told WND in an interview last month that he has enjoyed teaching the English teaching.
“I have become very attached to my students,” he said. “There are around 100 of them, in classes ranging from beginner to intermediate to advanced.”
He said many of them have now seen his film, “America,” which he gave to them as a Christmas present.
“They have gotten to know me and my situation,” he said. “And they are now huge fans. If you ran Obama against me with this group, I doubt he would get a single vote.”
