Director of a 2012 anti-Obama film, Dinesh D'Souza, appeared in U.S. federal court Friday.
He was indicted for arranging excessive campaign contributions to Wendy Long - a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.
According to a person familiar with the case, Long sought to unseat Democratic incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand as New York's junior senator in 2012.
A lawyer for D'Souza said his actions were "at worst," an act of misguided friendship.
