Hsu Knows Prison

Norman Hsu, late of the Clinton bagmen guild, has been sentenced to three years in prison in California.

A judge on Friday sentenced disgraced political donor Norman Hsu to three years in state prison after rejecting the one-time Democratic rainmaker's bid to throw out a 16-year-old fraud conviction.

Hsu's lawyers had asked Superior Court Judge Stephen Hall to dismiss his 1992 no contest plea, arguing his right to a speedy trial was violated because authorities weren't actively pursuing him during his years as a fugitive. They could easily have arrested Hsu, his lawyers argued, at one of the fundraisers he hosted in California for prominent local politicians.

Hsu also faces federal fraud charges in New York.

This couldn't come at a worse time for Hillary Clinton, who's already reeling from the third place finish in Iowa, although her opponents may not be able to fully capitalize on the linkages because of their own association with the bagman.