Sign In
SHARE
A Notorious Lobbyist Is Sentenced
President Bush and Vice President Cheney weren't the only well-known Republicans absent from the party's quadrennial convention in St. Paul this week. Jack Abramoff was missing, too.
Abramoff was busy in federal court in Washington today, being sentenced to four years in prison for conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion. He had pleaded guilty to those crimes in relation to his lobbying activities on behalf of Indian casino interests.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, District Judge Ellen Huvelle could have sentenced Abamoff to 11 years behind bars. Prosecutors had asked her to show leniency because he's helping them investigate Congress members who accepted vacations and other gratuities from lobbyists without publicly disclosing them.
The Abramoff investigation has already led to the convictions of two Republican congressmen -- Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California and Bob Ney of Ohio -- as well as two Bush White House officials, J. Steven Griles and David Safavian. Other lobbyists and congressional aides also have been convicted in the case.
Abramoff is already in prison, serving six years in an unrelated case involving the fraudulent purchase of a cruise ship casino in Florida. Today's sentence will be served concurrently, and he is likely to be released when his original sentence ends in 2012.
Although Abramoff has been in custody since 2005, his sentencing could cast a shadow on this year's presidential race. An Abramoff associate, Ralph Reed, organized an event last month that raised $1.75 million for Republican nominee John McCain.
[Recent analyses show just how effective lobbyists can be in Washington.]
by Mark Stein
Loading...
Thank you for registering as a Portfolio.com Insider. Your comment has been added.
Create Your Public Profile
- ACBJ to relaunch Portfolio.com
- May 20 2009 1:44PM EDT
- 44, Day 97: On Golf, Swine Flu, and a "Hallmark Holiday"
- Apr 26 2009 5:39PM EDT
- 44, Day 96: Where's the Suggestion Box?
- Apr 25 2009 2:10PM EDT
- 44, Day 95: Let Them Have Student Loans
- Apr 24 2009 6:49PM EDT
- Stressing Out Over Stress Tests
- Apr 24 2009 2:14PM EDT
- King of the Private Equity Hill
- Apr 24 2009 8:23AM EDT
- 44, Day 94: What's in Obama's Wallet?
- Apr 23 2009 6:39PM EDT
- Madoff Clawback Campaign Targets Ex-Clients
- Apr 23 2009 3:00PM EDT
- Merrill, Muzzle, and the Mob
- Apr 23 2009 1:45PM EDT
- 44, Day 93: Earthly Concerns
- Apr 22 2009 7:14PM EDT
- Stanford Prosecutor Arrested for Assault
- Apr 22 2009 5:47PM EDT
- IMF Downgrades the Global Economy
- Apr 22 2009 2:00PM EDT
- Ackman Opens His Target Slate to Questions
- Apr 22 2009 11:51AM EDT
- Freddie Mac Acting CFO Found Dead
- Apr 22 2009 8:42AM EDT
- 44, Day 92: About Those Interrogations
- Apr 21 2009 5:53PM EDT
Archive
