Jack Abramoff scandals
Encyclopedia
The federal investigations into Jack Abramoff
and his political and business dealings are among the broadest and most extensive in American political history, involving well over a dozen offices of the FBI
and over 100 FBI agents tasked exclusively to the investigation. Given the extent and complexity of the suspected corruption, an entire inter-governmental task force, involving many federal governmental departments and agencies, has been established to aid the federal investigation. The U.S. Justice Department has announced that it will not reveal the details of the investigation, or who specifically has been targeted for investigation, until indictments are issued. Under his plea agreements, Abramoff is required to answer all questions by federal investigators and prosecutors.
So far, the investigations have led to several plea agreements by those involved, including Congressman Bob Ney
(R-OH). Abramoff's activities are also an issue for many candidates in the November 2006 House
and Senate
elections, as many challengers attempt to paint the incumbent Congress as corrupted by Abramoff and his powerful allies. On March 29, 2006, he was sentenced to five years and ten months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $21 million.
As a result of Abramoff's criminal behavior, prominent politicians with close ties to Abramoff as well as hundreds of Congressional politicians who have received money from his clients (see the monetary influence of Jack Abramoff
) have come under media scrutiny, with lobbying reform proposals presented by both parties. In September 2006 both the Senate and House passed bills and rules changes to make public earmark
s but not make other substantive lobbying reforms.
Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
Jack Abramoff Guam investigation
SunCruz Casinos investigation
Other scandals
Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
and his political and business dealings are among the broadest and most extensive in American political history, involving well over a dozen offices of the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and over 100 FBI agents tasked exclusively to the investigation. Given the extent and complexity of the suspected corruption, an entire inter-governmental task force, involving many federal governmental departments and agencies, has been established to aid the federal investigation. The U.S. Justice Department has announced that it will not reveal the details of the investigation, or who specifically has been targeted for investigation, until indictments are issued. Under his plea agreements, Abramoff is required to answer all questions by federal investigators and prosecutors.
So far, the investigations have led to several plea agreements by those involved, including Congressman Bob Ney
Bob Ney
Robert William Ney is an American politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. A Republican, Ney represented Ohio's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 until November 3, 2006, when he resigned...
(R-OH). Abramoff's activities are also an issue for many candidates in the November 2006 House
United States House elections, 2006
- House of Representatives prior to the election :As of November 7, 2006, the U.S. House of the 109th Congress was composed of 229 Republicans, 201 Democrats and 1 Independent . There were also four vacancies...
and Senate
United States Senate elections, 2006
Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 7, 2006, with 33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate being contested. Senators are elected for six-year terms, with one third of the Senate seats up for a vote every two years. The term of office for those elected in 2006 runs...
elections, as many challengers attempt to paint the incumbent Congress as corrupted by Abramoff and his powerful allies. On March 29, 2006, he was sentenced to five years and ten months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $21 million.
As a result of Abramoff's criminal behavior, prominent politicians with close ties to Abramoff as well as hundreds of Congressional politicians who have received money from his clients (see the monetary influence of Jack Abramoff
Monetary influence of Jack Abramoff
The monetary influence of Jack Abramoff ran deep in Washington, as Jack Abramoff spent millions of dollars to influence and entertain both Republican and Democrat politicians. Abramoff had a reputation for largesse considered exceptional even by Washington standards...
) have come under media scrutiny, with lobbying reform proposals presented by both parties. In September 2006 both the Senate and House passed bills and rules changes to make public earmark
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
s but not make other substantive lobbying reforms.
Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
The Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal is a United States political scandal relating to the work performed by political lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed, Jr., Grover Norquist and Michael Scanlon on Indian casino gambling interests for an estimated $85 million in fees. Abramoff and Scanlon...
- Abramoff was under investigation by federal grand juries for his involvement in the multimillion-dollar defrauding of Native American tribes who were his lobbying clients, and related bribery of public officials. On January 3, 2006, Abramoff pled guilty to three felony counts: conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion (Abramoff owes the Internal Revenue ServiceInternal Revenue ServiceThe Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
$1.7 million for that charge). In addition, Abramoff and other defendants must make restitution of at least $25 million USD that was defrauded from clients, most notably the Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes. Abramoff's guilty plea was part of a plea dealPlea bargainA plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
that requires him to cooperate in the ongoing investigation of his role in congressional corruption.
- The agreement alleges that Abramoff bribed public officials, including a person identified as "Representative #1," confirmed to be Bob NeyBob NeyRobert William Ney is an American politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. A Republican, Ney represented Ohio's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 until November 3, 2006, when he resigned...
, a Republican congressman from OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Also included: the hiring of congressional staffers and conspiring with them to lobby their former employers—including members of Congress—in violation of a one-year federal ban on such lobbying. Ney has established a legal defense fund for himself to defend against possible charges related to Abramoff. On January 15, 2006, Ney relinquished his post as Chairman of the House Administration Committee. On May 8, 2006, Ney's former Chief of Staff, Neil VolzNeil VolzNeil Volz was Chief of Staff to Representative Bob Ney , staff director of the House Administration Committee, and later part of Team Abramoff, when he left Capitol Hill in February 2002 to work for Abramoff at Greenberg Traurig LLP...
pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, including wire fraud and violating House rules. On June 20, 2006, White House procurement official David SafavianDavid SafavianDavid Hossein Safavian is a former chief of staff of the United States General Services Administration and a figure in the Jack Abramoff lobbying and corruption scandal....
, a long-time colleague of Abramoff and Grover NorquistGrover NorquistGrover Glenn Norquist is an American lobbyist, conservative activist, and founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform...
, was convicted of lying and obstruction for concealing his efforts at the GSAGSA-Commerce:* Citroën GS / GSA, a French automobile car* Global mobile Suppliers Association, an industry association for 3G mobile technology* General Sales Agent, an airline sales representative* Google Search Appliance, a device for document indexing...
to aid Abramoff.
Jack Abramoff Guam investigation
Jack Abramoff Guam investigation
The Jack Abramoff Guam investigation involves an alleged plot by lobbyist Jack Abramoff and others to control the functions of the courts in Guam. A federal grand jury investigation was halted in 2002 when the prosecutor was removed from office by the George W...
- Abramoff was under investigation by a grand jury in GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
over an alleged plot to control the functions of the courts in that territory, until the prosecutor was removed from office by the Bush administration.
SunCruz Casinos investigation
SunCruz Casinos
SunCruz Casinos was one of many cruise lines that offered offshore "cruises to nowhere", legally transporting passengers into international waters beyond the reach of federal and state gambling laws...
- Abramoff was indicted on August 11, 2005, by a grand jury in Fort LauderdaleFort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, Florida, for bank fraudBank fraudBank fraud is the use of fraudulent means to obtain money, assets, or other property owned or held by a financial institution, or to obtain money from depositors by fraudulently representing to be a bank or financial institution. In many instances, bank fraud is a criminal offense...
arising from the purchase of SunCruz CasinosSunCruz CasinosSunCruz Casinos was one of many cruise lines that offered offshore "cruises to nowhere", legally transporting passengers into international waters beyond the reach of federal and state gambling laws...
. On January 4, 2006, Abramoff pled guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraudWire fraudMail and wire fraud is a federal crime in the United States. Together, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343, and 1346 reach any fraudulent scheme or artifice to intentionally deprive another of property or honest services with a nexus to mail or wire communication....
and mail fraud, and of a separate charge of wire fraud.
Other scandals
- Abramoff is linked to a scandal involving a troubled multibillion-dollar Homeland SecurityHomeland securityHomeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect states against terrorist activity. Specifically, is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S., reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do...
contract. - Abramoff made multiple payments to Doug BandowDoug BandowDouglas Bandow is a former columnist with Copley News Service and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He resigned from Cato in 2005 due a scandal involving payments for columns from lobbyist Jack Abramoff and wrote about it in the Los Angeles Times. As of March 2009, Bandow is again working at...
, former Senior Fellow at the Cato InstituteCato InstituteThe Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
, and at least one other think tank expert, Peter FerraraPeter FerraraPeter J. Ferrara is an American lawyer, policy analyst, and columnist who is the current general counsel for the American Civil Rights Union and analyst for The Heartland Institute...
, to write opinion pieces favorable to his clients.
- Abramoff was involved in a scandal to influence the United States Department of Interior to prevent the Jena Band of ChoctawChoctawThe Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
Indian Tribe from building a Casino that would take away money from one of Abramoff's tribal clients. Abramoff paid money to the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA), in exchange for help from CREA president Italia FedericiItalia FedericiItalia Federici , the former president of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy . Federici was also a political aide to Secretary of the Interior and CREA co-founder Gale Norton...
in persuading Deputy Secretary for the U.S. Department of Interior J. Steven Griles to block the Jena Band's Casino application.
- Some commentators have theorized that there are links between Abramoff and Islamic terrorism. In 2002 Abramoff was a registered lobbyist for the General Council for Islamic Banks, for which he was paid $20,000. Saleh Abdullah KamelSaleh Abdullah KamelSaleh Abdullah Kamel is a Saudi businessman, chairman and founder of the Dallah al Baraka Group . He is also the chairman of the General Council for Islamic Banks. He is estimated to be worth about $5.3 billion, ranking number 12 on Arabian Business list of richest Arabs 2008...
, the chairman of this Council, was investigated for allegedly funding terrorism and terrorists including Osama Bin LadenOsama bin LadenOsama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
.
External links
- Plea Agreement of January 3, defrauding of American Indian tribes and corruption of public officials, US District Court of District of Columbia.
- Plea Agreement of January 4, conspiracy and wire fraud, US Southern District Court of Florida.