Gore, Maria Hsia, and the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple in California. Maria Hsia Taiwan-born Maria Hsia (pronounced "Shya"), a long time fund raiser for Al Gore, California immigration consultant, and business associate of John Huang and James Riady since 1988, facilitated $100,000 in illegal campaign contributions through her efforts at Hsi Lai Temple, a Chinese Buddhist temple associated with Taiwan in Hacienda Heights, California. This money went to the DNC, to the Clinton–Gore campaign, and to U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island. After a trial, Hsia was convicted in March 2000. The Democratic National Committee eventually returned the money donated by the temple's monks and nuns. Twelve nuns and employees of the temple, including temple abbess Venerable Yi Kung (who resigned her post after being subpoenaed), refused to answer questions by pleading the Fifth Amendment when they were subpoenaed to testify before Congress. Two other Buddhist nuns admitted destroying lists of donors and other documents related to the controversy because they felt the information would embarrass the temple. A Temple-commissioned videotape of the fund raiser also went missing and the nuns' attorney claimed it may have been shipped off to Taiwan. The temple event became particularly controversial because it was attended by Vice President Gore. In an interview on the January 24, 1997, edition of the Today show, Gore said: In response, the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee that investigated the controversy said: John Huang's memo to Vice President Gore's assistant Kimberly Tilley specifically mentioned that the temple meeting was a fundraising event. Gore later acknowledged that he had known the visit was "finance-related." In the U.S., religious organizations enjoy a tax exempt status. Political activity is prohibited for such tax exempt entities. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee also said they learned that Hsia had served as an "agent" of the PRC government. Hsia denied the claim. Ted Sioeng Ted Sioeng, an Indonesian entrepreneur who donated money to both Democrats and Republicans, was the sixth individual whose donations were investigated by the Senate committee. Suspect contributions associated with Sioeng include $250,000 to the DNC and $100,000 to Republican California State Treasurer Matt Fong. Fong returned the money in April 1997. Sieong sat with Bill Clinton or Al Gore at two fundraising events. Sioeng also joined Fong at a meeting with then Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich in mid-1995. Gingrich called the meeting a "photo op". Gingrich was the guest