John Huang

John Huang (Chinese: 黃建南, born 1945) is a major figure in the 1996 United States campaign finance controversy. He worked for Lippo Bank in California and Worthen Bank in Arkansas, and as deputy assistant secretary for international economic affairs in U.S. President Bill Clinton's Commerce Department before he became a chief fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in 1996.^[1][2][3]

John Huang
Born	1945 (age 79–80) Nanping, Fujian, Republic of China
Citizenship	United States
Alma mater	University of Connecticut School of Business
Known for	Felony conviction
Date apprehended	August 12, 1999
Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Economic Affairs
President	Bill Clinton

Early life and education

Huang was born in 1945 at Nanping in Fujian. His father Huang Tizhai was a native of Wenzhou, Zhejiang and served the KMT. Huang and his father fled to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese Civil War before he eventually emigrated to the United States in 1969^[1] to study for an M.B.A. at the University of Connecticut.^[4]

Career

After working as a loan officer at small banks around Washington D.C., Huang moved to Kentucky and Tennessee before becoming Vice President of Worthen Bank in Little Rock in 1984. He continued to work for Lippo at the same time.^[4]

Criminal conviction

On August 12, 1999, Huang pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy charge for violating campaign finance laws and was sentenced to one year of probation. He was also ordered by U.S. District Court to pay a $10,000 fine and serve 500 hours of community service. Prosecutors said Huang was responsible for arranging about $156,000 in illegal campaign contributions from Lippo Group employees to the Democratic Party.^[5]

References

1. "Campaign Finance Key Player: John Huang". The Washington Post. July 27, 1997. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
2. "The Democratic Fund-Raising Flap". CNN. July 1, 1997. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
3. Duffy, Brian (May 13, 1997). "A Fund-Raiser's Rise and Fall". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 13, 2002. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
4. Greenwald, John (November 11, 1996). "John Huang: The Dems Cash Cow". Time. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
5. Frieden, Terry (August 12, 1999). "Former Democratic fund-raiser John Huang pleads guilty". CNN. Archived from the original on May 2, 2001. Retrieved January 5, 2025.