Ex-Trump fundraiser Broidy pleads guilty to illegal lobbying

Elliott Broidy, once a top Republican fundraiser, pleaded guilty to illegally lobbying President Donald Trump’s administration to help a Malaysian businessman end a federal investigation into the 1MDB scandal and to seek the extradition of a Chinese dissident from the U.S.

Broidy’s plea Tuesday in federal court in Washington comes ahead of an expected criminal settlement with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The bank has agreed to pay more than $2 billion for its role in helping 1MDB raise billion of dollars, much of which was later illegally diverted, according to people familiar with the matter.

The bank’s deal with the U.S. Justice Department, which could be announced as early as this week, would allow the parent company to avoid a conviction, the people said.

As part of the plea deal, Broidy agreed to forfeit $6.6 million. He faces as much as five years in prison.