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Unraveling Abramoff
Key Players in the Investigation of Lobbyist Jack Abramoff
Compiled by washingtonpost.com
January 3, 2005


The Players | Timeline | Follow the Money | The "A" Team | Post Coverage

Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff agreed on Tues., Jan. 3 to plead guilty to fraud, public corruption and tax evasion for his role in the purchase of a fleet of Florida gambling boats from a businessman who was later killed in a gangland-style hit. Other efforts he took to funnel money to support causes of interest to his clients are also being probed. Post reporters Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi have written several stories about the Abramoff Affair and key players are listed below.

The Players

Jack Abramoff | Michael Scanlon | Adam Kidan | Ben Waldman | Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis | Grover Norquist | Ralph Reed | Italia Federici | Rev. Louis P. Sheldon | David H. Safavian | J. Steven Griles | Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) | Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) | Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) | Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) | Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) | Tony C. Rudy

Jack A. Abramoff: Up until 2004, Jack Abramoff was one of the most influential lobbyists in Washington. He leveraged his close ties to Republican and conservative leaders, including then–House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), to collect tens of millions of dollars from clients such as casino-rich Indian tribes. He treated lawmakers and their aides to lavish trips, meals and tickets to sporting events, and directed the tribes to donate millions of dollars to political candidates and parties. Now he is at the center of one of the widest-ranging federal corruption investigations in decades.

Prosecutors are investigating whether Abramoff defrauded the tribes and are probing his links to Congress and government officials. In a related matter, Abramoff agreed to plead guilty to three criminal charges on Tuesday, Jan. 3 for allegedly defrauding lenders in his 2000 purchase of SunCruz casinos, a fleet of gambling boats. The former lobbyist also agreed to cooperate with federal investigators in Washington. His partner in the Florida deal, Adam Kidan, has agreed to plead guilty and testify against Abramoff. Abramoff's Washington partner, public relations executive Michael Scanlon, has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe public officials and also will testify against Abramoff.

Born in Atlantic City, N.J., Abramoff, 46, graduated from Brandeis University and Georgetown University Law Center. He was a leader of the College Republicans where he met Kidan; anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist; and Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition who now is a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in Georgia.

The lobbyist has said, "I can't imagine there's anything I did that other lobbyists didn't do and aren't doing today."

Michael Scanlon: A former press secretary to Rep. Tom DeLay, Scanlon pleaded guilty on Nov. 22, 2005, to conspiring to bribe a congressman and other public officials. Scanlon, 35, and Abramoff allegedly plotted to defraud Indian tribes and bribe government officials, taking in tens of millions of dollars.

According to court records, Scanlon and Abramoff concocted a scheme to "corruptly offer and provide things of value, including money, meals, trips and entertainment to federal public officials in return for agreements to perform official acts." Scanlon is expected to testify about gifts he and Abramoff offered to Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) "in exchange for a series of official acts," according to court records.

Ben Waldman: A former Reagan administration aide, Waldman joined Abramoff and Kidan in purchasing SunCruz Casinos. Records show that Waldman and Kidan faxed copies of a purported wire-transfer document in order to prove they had paid a promised $23 million to the owner of SunCruz. Abramoff and Kidan have been indicted on charges of fraud after an investigation determined the wire-transfer document was a fake. Waldman has not been indicted in the case.

Adam Kidan: Kidan, a New York City businessman who had owned the Dial-a-Mattress franchise in Washington, was indicted in August 2005 on fraud charges related to the 2000 purchase of SunCruz Casinos with Abramoff. According to court records, the SunCruz purchase hinged on a fake wire transfer for $23 million intended to persuade lenders to provide financing to Kidan, Abramoff and Ben Waldman, who were purchasing a 90 percent share of the company. Each of the six counts in the indictment could bring a punishment of as much as five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Grover Norquist: Founder and president of the conservative lobbying group Americans for Tax Reform, Norquist allegedly allowed Abramoff to route money through the group in order to whip up opposition to an anti-gambling bill. If the bill had passed, Abramoff's client, a company that wanted to sell state lottery tickets online, would be out of business. Norquist has known Abramoff since their days in the College Republicans.

Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis: A Greek immigrant who started the Miami Subs restaurant chain and the Florida-based SunCruz Casinos, Boulis was killed in February 2001, just months after selling a 90 percent share of his gambling business to Abramoff's group.

Boulis was forced to sell the casino business, which included 11 ships that sailed from nine Florida ports and Myrtle Beach, S.C., because he purchased his fleet before he became a U.S. citizen, which violated the Shipping Act. The Justice Department worked out a settlement that allowed Boulis to sell the business at market value. Through his lawyer, he connected with Abramoff's group. Federal investigators allege Abramoff and Kidan defrauded lenders when making the purchase and the two were indicted in August. The business went bankrupt just months after Boulis's execution-style death, which went unsolved until November 2005 when three men were indicted on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Ralph Reed: Best known as the first executive director of the Christian Coalition during the early 1990s, Reed is now a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Georgia. In 1981 he worked as an intern for Abramoff, the newly elected chairman of the College Republicans National Committee. Abramoff promoted Reed in 1983, appointing him to succeed Grover Norquist as executive director of the organization. Reed left the Christian Coalition in 1997 and started a political consulting firm in Georgia.

E-mails released by federal investigators in June 2005 suggest that Reed secretly accepted payments from Abramoff to lobby against Indian casino gambling and oppose an Alabama education lottery at the same time that Abramoff was being paid to promote Indian casino gambling. Additional e-mails released in November 2005 show that Reed also worked for another Abramoff client seeking to block a congressional ban on Internet gambling. Reed has said he did not know the funds came from pro-gambling sources.

Italia Federici: Federici is president of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy. Over three years, Abramoff directed Indian tribes he represented to contribute about $500,000 to her group. Federici had a personal relationship with J. Steven Griles and e-mails show that Abramoff sought to use this connection to secretly help him lobby the Interior Department and obtain inside information affecting his tribal clients.

Federici's organization was co-founded by Gale A. Norton before she joined the Bush administration as Interior secretary. In one e-mail, Abramoff told a colleague that Federici's group was "our access to Norton." In combative testimony before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Nov. 17, 2005, Federici maintained that she was manipulated by Abramoff.

Rev. Louis P. Sheldon: Sheldon is the founder of the Traditional Values Coalition that represents a number of conservative Christian churches. Sheldon's organization, which has protested loudly against gambling, allegedly accepted money from an online lottery firm, eLottery, to help in the company's $2 million pro-gambling campaign. The company needed help defeating an anti-gambling bill and checks and e-mails obtained by The Post show that Abramoff recruited Ralph Reed to join Sheldon in the effort to pressure members of Congress.

Sheldon told The Post that he could not remember receiving eLottery money and that he was unaware that Abramoff was involved in the campaign to defeat an anti-gambling bill. Sheldon received at least $25,000 from eLottery; Abramoff is known to have referred to him as "Lucky Louie."

David Safavian: Safavian, who once worked with Abramoff, worked in the White House until he was arrested Sept. 19, 2005, for allegedly lying to investigators in the probe of the lobbyist's activities.

Until his resignation, Safavian was the top administrator at the federal procurement office in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he set purchasing policy for the entire government. The FBI alleges that Safavian made repeated false statements to investigators about a golf trip with Abramoff to Scotland in 2002, when Safavian was chief of staff at the General Services Administration. Investigators contend that he concealed his efforts to help Abramoff acquire control of two federally managed properties in the Washington area.

J. Steven Griles: Griles was deputy secretary of the Interior Department from July 2001 to January 2005. E-mails released by congressional investigators show he had numerous meetings, telephone calls and other contacts with Jack Abramoff concerning the lobbyist's tribal clients. According to the e-mails, Griles advised Abramoff how to get members of Congress to pressure the department and provided him information about Interior decision-making. The e-mails show Abramoff tried to influence Griles through Italia Federici, head of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy.

In testimony before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Griles denied having any special relationship with Abramoff. Since leaving office, Griles has joined former White House national energy policy director Andrew Lundquist and former House member George Nethercutt (R-Wash.) to form the political lobbying firm of Lundquist, Nethercutt & Griles, LLC.

Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio): Ney, 51, was subpoenaed in early November by the federal grand jury investigating Abramoff's lobbying activities. The lawmaker is under scrutiny because of alleged favors he performed for Abramoff and Scanlon, including introducing legislation, putting two statements into the Congressional Record, contacting federal officials to influence decisions and meeting with Abramoff's clients.

A spokesman for Ney, who has served as chairman of the House Administration Committee since January 2001, said that the lawmaker was defrauded by Scanlon and Abramoff and his official actions had nothing to do with improper influence. Ney has represented Ohio's 18th congressional district since 1995.

Rep. Thomas DeLay (R-Tex.): DeLay was one of the most powerful leaders on Capitol Hill before he was indicted on campaign finance charges in September 2005 and temporarily resigned as House majority leader. Abramoff, whom DeLay once called "one of my closest and dearest friends," held fundraisers for the congressman and arranged for DeLay to accompany him on a luxury golf trip to Scotland and a trip to the Northern Mariana Islands. Abramoff also maintained close ties with DeLay aides.

DeLay and two of his associates were indicted on charges of criminal conspiracy and money laundering in relation to fundraising and spending in the 2002 Texas legislative races. The lawmaker is vigorously challenging the Texas campaign finance case, which he says was filed against him by a prosecutor with close ties to Democrats. On Dec. 5, 2005, a judge dropped a conspiracy charge against DeLay, but let stand money laundering charges.

A native Texan, DeLay holds a biology degree from the University of Houston and owned a pest extermination company before seeking public office. He was elected to the Texas State House in 1978 and went to Congress six years later, becoming majority leader in 2002.

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.): Burns, chairman of the Senate Interior Appropriations subcommittee, pressured the Bureau of Indian Affairs to award a $3 million grant to the Saginaw Chippewas of Michigan – a client of Abramoff's – despite objections from Interior Department officials. On Dec. 17, 2005, the senator returned $150,000 in contributions he received during the past five years from Abramoff, his associates and their tribal clients. Two of his staffers left to work as lobbyists with Abramoff during that same time period. Burns, who has said his actions were consistent with his support for Indian tribes, was first elected to the Senate in 1988.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.): As chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, McCain launched an investigation into Abramoff's activities after Washington Post stories in 2004 detailed the lobbyist's dealings with tribes and secret kickbacks to Scanlon. The hearings may help McCain, a likely contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, reinforce his image as a Washington reformer and a proponent of campaign finance reform.

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.): Dorgan, ranking Democrat on the committee, has pursued the probe even as he has received attention for his previous links to Abramoff. Dorgan met with one of Abramoff's associates and pushed legislative language urging government regulators to decide whether one tribal client of Abramoff deserved federal recognition. On Dec. 12, 2005, Dorgan announced he would return $67,000 in donations he received from Indian tribes represented by Abramoff.

Tony C. Rudy: A former top aide to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), Rudy was central to Abramoff's efforts to scuttle an anti-gambling bill in July 2000. He e-mailed Abramoff internal congressional communications and advice, according to documents and the lobbyist's former associates.

Rudy went to work for Abramoff when the lobbyist moved to a new law firm, Greenberg Traurig LLP, in January 2001. Abramoff also arranged for a client, eLottery, to pay $25,000 to a Jewish foundation that hired Rudy's wife, Lisa, as a consultant, according to documents and interviews. Months later, Rudy himself was hired as a lobbyist by Abramoff.

During his tenure as a congressional aide, Rudy received favors from Abramoff, including several trips paid for by eLottery. Rudy also accompanied DeLay to Scotland in 2002 for a trip, now under investigation, arranged by Abramoff. Abramoff listed Rudy as a financial reference in his purchase of SunCruz, an offshore gambling enterprise. That transaction ultimately led to the indictment of Abramoff and a business partner on charges that they had forged a $23 million wire transfer. Rudy has declined to comment on his involvement in any of these investigations.

source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/custom/2005/12/23/CU2005122300939.html#burns
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It's not a Republican scandal, it's the Republican Party
by kos
Wed Jan 04, 2006 at 11:24:36 AM PDT

The Bow Tie makes sense:


So it was with not all that much surprise that I read Lou Sheldon's name again recently, in a story about disgraced lobbyist and admitted felon Jack Abramoff. According to the Washington Post, Sheldon allegedly took money from an Abramoff client called eLottery and in return pressured members of Congress to defeat an anti-gambling bill. Sheldon was joined in this by former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed, another longtime Abramoff friend.

The usual good government types will point to the Abramoff scandal as yet another reason we need tougher campaign finance laws and more stringent ethics rules in Washington. Maybe they're right. But there's a deeper kind of corruption here.

Why were supposedly honest ideological conservatives like Sheldon and Reed and anti-tax activist Grover Norquist involved with Jack Abramoff in the first place? [...]

Weirdos and charlatans and self-interested hacks like Lou Sheldon and Grover Norquist have long discredited the conservative ideas they purport to represent. Their political allies in Washington and Congress may be tempted to defend them. I hope they don't. We'll all be better off when they're gone.


The problem for principled conservatives (and I'm still not sure whether Tucker Carlson is one of them) is that they've lost representation in DC. The Republican Party isn't mired in scandal, it IS the scandal -- the system of bribery, kickbacks, and scams that fuel its massive money machine and influence peddling racket.

It's great business, no doubt. The numbers don't lie. But it's not good for America, and it clearly doesn't represent honest conservative thinking.

Ten years. That's all it took for Republicans to go from outsider reformers to the most corrupt machine in recent history and perhaps ever (the historians can debate that point). Remember, it was DeLay who once said:


The time has come that the American people know exactly what their Representatives are doing here in Washington. Are they feeding at the public trough, taking lobbyist-paid vacations, getting wined and dined by special interest groups? Or are they working hard to represent their constituents?


That was 1995. But it wasn't even four years later that:


... the former House majority leader or his associates have visited places of luxury most Americans have never seen, often getting there aboard corporate jets arranged by lobbyists and other special interests.


DeLay has been the biggest power in DC for a decade, reshaping the Republican Party and the DC power structure (e.g. K Street) to suit the financial and influence needs of his machine.

The Republican Party is now corrupt to its core. It can't even blink without breaking a law or ethical guideline. The tendrils of the corruption seep all the way into the deepest corners of Congress and the White House (let's not forget David Safavian and Susan Ralston).

And there's the genius of the polarization that Republicans engineered in this country the last two decades. The more conservatives are conditioned to hate Democrats, the less likely they are to defect no matter how much Republicans stray from their core principles, and no matter how much corruption, greed, mismanagement, abuse of power, and death they preside over. And by controlling the entire machinery of government, they can whitewash any real investigations into those abuses.

Hence there are no checks and balances in place to prevent and punish these abuses. Not from the party's supporters, not from the party itself, and not from the government. All that's left is the criminal justice system, and it's shaping up to be boom times for prosecutors, investigators, and defense lawyers in our nation's capital.

The Stakeholder has more.

source: http://www.dailykos.com/
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