Roll
Call is reporting that former Abramoff partner Michael Scanlon will turn
himself in and has reached a deal to plea guilty in exchange for testimony
against his former partner. Scanlon will also offer testimony against anyone
else named in indictments from this investigation.
There are numerous others under the microscope on this probe. They include
Rep. Bob Ney and Rep. Tom Delay. Scanlon served as a former top aide to Tom
Delay.
The following excerpt from an
Associated Press article highlights the crimes indicated in the indictment.
Charges outlined in documents filed Friday allege that Lobbyist A
solicited an Indian tribe in Mississippi in 1995 to provide lobbying
services on taxes and other issues relating to tribal sovereignty.The lobbyist then allegedly recommended that the tribe hire Scanlon’s
company, Capital Campaign Strategies, while concealing the fact the Lobbyist
A would receive 50 percent of the profits from the tribe’s payment to
Scanlon.The Mississippi tribe paid Scanlon’s firm $14.8 million from June 2001
through April 2004, while Scanlon concealed from the tribe that 50 percent
of the profit “was kicked back to Lobbyist A pursuant to their secret
arrangement.”
View full article
here.
While Abramoff is not named in the indictment it is a safe bet he is lobbyist
A. Much like the Plame indictment, investigators can not name other people
involved unless they are indicted for fear of losing any future prosecutions
against the suspects.
Abramoff and Scanlon have other deals that are under investigation. The
Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which is chaired by John McCain, has been
actively investigating other possible illegal activities and conspiracies the
two were involved in. The committee’s investigation involves a sum of over $80
million being scammed from Indian tribes.
As always you can check with
Slobbiest for the latest details on the Abramoff scandal.