lobbyist jack abramoff

We knew it was coming but now it's official - Jack Abramoff has pleaded
guilty to his charges in Florida.

A day after pleading guilty to three felonies, once-powerful lobbyist
Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty in federal court to fraud charges stemming from
his purchase of a Florida gambling boat fleet.

At a hearing Wednesday afternoon, Jack Abramoff plead to one count of
conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and one count of wire fraud
stemming from the SunCruz casino deal, said his attorney, Neal Sonnett.

The plea was part of an agreement with prosecutors requiring him to
cooperate in a broad corruption investigation into members of Congress. On
Tuesday, Abramoff, 46, pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington to mail
fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion charges.

The plea agreement in Florida calls for a maximum sentence of just more
than seven years, but the sentence could be reduced if he cooperates fully
and would run simultaneously with whatever sentence is imposed in the
Washington corruption case, Sonnett said. The remaining four counts in the
Florida indictment would be dismissed.

Article continues

here.

This case is growing by the day. Considering his deal yesterday could cause
him to face between 9 1/2 and 11 years and his new one today could lead to seven
years they must of really had a bunch on him to get him to sing. I wonder what
all charges and time served he would of been facing if he didn't plea.

Politicans are now rushing to get rid of that "dirty money" they received
from Jack Abramoff.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert became the latest
lawmaker to dump campaign contributions from clients of high-flying lobbyist
Jack Abramoff, giving about $70,000 to charity Tuesday.

The donation came after Abramoff pleaded guilty to corruption charges and
agreed to cooperate with a federal corruption investigation in Washington.

View complete article

here.

Hastert isn't the only one rushing to get rid of that tainted money. It goes
higher than that:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's re-election campaign
will give to charity several thousand dollars in contributions linked to
lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the White House said on Wednesday.

View complete article

here.

Yes they all are now wanting to get rid of that money. Funny how they waited
until he plead guilty to make such a move. The Democrats who got money from
Abramoff gave theirs back over a month ago. Guess Hastert and Bush held onto a
belief that Abramoff was innocent.

All this money going to charities should be interesting. How much you want to
bet that the increased giving to charities will be signs the economy is doing so
well? We are certain to here something about this increase come next month.

Ironically the second article also makes an all to familiar claim when it
comes to Bush and Abramoff:

It sounds like the deal between Jack Abramoff and prosecutors has been struck
and the paperwork could be done over this holiday weekend with the official
announcement on Tuesday:

Federal prosecutors and lawyers for Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff
consulted briefly Friday with a federal judge in Miami as they put the
finishing touches on a plea deal that could be announced as early as
Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

The plea agreement would secure the lobbyist's testimony against several
members of Congress who received favors from him or his clients.

View complete article

here.

This news comes out the same day that the

Washington Post publishes a big front page article giving more ties between
Abramoff and Delay:

The U.S. Family Network, a public advocacy group that operated in the
1990s with close ties to Rep. Tom DeLay and claimed to be a nationwide
grass-roots organization, was funded almost entirely by corporations linked
to embattled lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to tax records and former
associates of the group.

During its five-year existence, the U.S. Family Network raised $2.5
million but kept its donor list secret. The list, obtained by The Washington
Post, shows that $1 million of its revenue came in a single 1998 check from
a now-defunct London law firm whose former partners would not identify the
money's origins.

More bad news for Republicans. This courtesy of the

Associated Press

Scanlon Charged With Conspiracy to
Defraud

By PETE YOST, Associated Press

Michael Scanlon, partner of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, was charged Friday
with conspiring to defraud Indian tribes the two were representing of
millions of dollars.

In a one-count criminal information filed by the government, Scanlon was
charged with conspiring with another lobbyist, who was not identified.

Although the document lists Scanlon's co-conspirator only as "Lobbyist
A," it has been a matter of public record for more than a year that Scanlon
and Abramoff had a fee-splitting arrangement and represented several Indian
tribes.

Scanlon was once a top aide to former House Majority Leader Tom Delay,
who stepped down from his leadership post after being charged with violating
campaign finance laws in Texas.

The filing of a criminal information, rather than an indictment, often
means prosecutors have reached a plea agreement with a defendant.

Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra confirmed that a hearing has
been scheduled for Monday in Scanlon's case, but would provide no details.

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee is investigating Abramoff and Scanlon
and the more than $80 million they were paid between 2001 and 2004 by six
Indian tribes with casinos.

In another investigation, Abramoff has been indicted by a federal grand
jury in Florida on charges of fraud and conspiracy stemming from his role in
the 2000 purchase of a fleet of gambling boats.

Washington Post:

Abramoff Indicted in Fraud Case

Washington Lobbyist Arrested in L.A.

By James V. Grimaldi Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, August 11, 2005; 5:51 PM

MIAMI, Aug. 11 -- Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday as part of a wide-ranging fraud case stemming from the purchase of a Florida casino cruise line from a businessman later murdered in Fort Lauderdale, the U.S. attorney announced.

Abramoff, a key figure in ethics investigations into House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), was arrested in Los Angeles in late afternoon Eastern time and was expected to be taken to a U.S. magistrate there. He was indicted along with Adam Kidan, the former owner of the Dial-A-Mattress franchise in Washington. Kidan, 41, of New York City, will surrender to the FBI here by Friday morning, his attorney, Martin I. Jaffe, said in a written statement.

Abramoff and Kidan were indicted on five counts of wire fraud and conspiracy. The maximum penalty for each of the six counts is five years in prison and $250,000 fine.

In the statement, Kidan said, "I did nothing wrong and these allegations are totally unfounded." He also said he has "cooperated fully with the federal investigation."

Abramoff, 46, remains the subject of a separate federal corruption investigation in Washington stemming from his work for casino-rich Indian tribes.

A federal grand jury in Fort Lauderdale has been investigating allegations of bank fraud, the details of which are outlined in papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.