Imaad Zuberi was born in Pakistan around 1970 and moved to the United States at the age of three. He attended the University of Southern California, earning a BSc from the Marshall School of Business between 1993 and 1997, and reportedly pursued graduate studies there as well. In 1996, he briefly served in the U.S. Army for six months before an honorable discharge due to a knee injury. Early in his career, Zuberi worked in finance for Transamerica and Aegon Group in locations including Japan, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He founded Avenue Ventures, a venture capital and private equity firm based in Los Angeles, claiming to have closed over $55 billion in transactions, with clients primarily from California and the Persian Gulf region, including investments like a publicized stake in Bahrain's Al Areen Palace & Spa resort in 2013, which involved hiring retired Gen. Wesley Clark. Zuberi positioned himself as an economic advisor to the Chinese government and registered as a lobbyist for Sri Lanka's Central Bank in 2015 after scrutiny over Foreign Agents Registration Act compliance. A prolific bipartisan donor, he shifted from supporting Democrats like Obama and Clinton to contributing $900,000 to Trump's 2016 inaugural committee via Avenue Ventures, drawing federal probes into inauguration finances. He had contacts with figures like Michael Cohen and Michael Flynn. Known for his ties to U.S. politicians and defense contractors, Zuberi pleaded guilty in 2019 to acting as an unregistered lobbyist for foreign governments, including Ukraine and Sri Lanka. In addition to the lobbying violations, he admitted to tax evasion and funneling nearly $1 million in illegal campaign contributions, often using foreign funds from entities like Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash and others through straw donors. He was sentenced in February 2021 to 12 years in prison, a $1.75 million fine, and $15.7 million in restitution by a federal judge in California, but received a pardon from President Trump on January 20, 2021.