From “Nobody” to “Player”

Every once in a while, as all mindful aesthetes know, it’s a good idea to swoop down from the social whirl and look a little more closely at your enablers. After all, we all crave attention, adoration, and convivial conversation. Add to that a penchant for gifts, meaningful air kisses and obscene amounts of cash, well… it could end up costing you — mightily. Forewarned is forearmed. So go on and enjoy yourself, and remember that valued adage about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer, and be prepared to draw or drop on a moment’s notice.

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Norman Hsu was desperate for invitations to glitzy Democratic Party galas in California and private political dinners in New York. But once he got in, Mr. Hsu, a 56-year-old apparel executive, seemed awkward and out of place, almost astonished to be posing for pictures with former President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and other big-name Democrats.

He gave generously, showering money on a wide array of national, state and local politicians. But he stood out in the symbiotic world of campaign finance because he appeared to want nothing in return other than a few powerful friends, according to Democratic fund-raisers in New York and California who knew him.

What those friends did not know, however, was that Mr. Hsu was running from a 15-year-old arrest warrant for a fraud conviction and a hidden past of bankruptcy. And his political donations helped to bolster his image as a man to do business with.

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