September 5, 2008
Abramoff Gets 4 Years in Prison for Corruption
By NEIL A. LEWIS

WASHINGTON — Jack Abramoff, the onetime flamboyant lobbyist who amassed a fortune by showering gifts on Congressional and executive branch officials while bilking Indian tribes of millions of dollars, was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison.

Judge Ellen S. Huvelle of Federal District Court here ordered that Mr. Abramoff serve the time for corruption and tax offenses uncovered by an influence-peddling investigation that touched Republican leaders in Congress and midlevel officials in the Bush administration, among others. Judge Huvelle said Mr. Abramoff had engaged in “a consistent course of corrupt conduct.”

Mr. Abramoff, who came to symbolize an out-of-control, even brazen style of courting government officials, told Judge Huvelle he had since realized how far he had stepped over the bounds of what was permissible. Wearing a worn brown T-shirt, pants with an elastic waistband and a Jewish skullcap, he apologized profusely and in a quavering voice said he was begging for mercy. “I have fallen into an abyss,” he said. “My name is the butt of a joke.”

The sentencing process was unusual and complicated by many factors. Prosecutors had asked Judge Huvelle to sentence Mr. Abramoff to a term less than the approximately 11 years allowed by federal sentencing guidelines to reflect his extensive cooperation with investigators.

Although the Justice Department typically exhorts judges to hand down stiff sentences, a prosecutor, Mary K. Butler, argued vigorously for a reduced jail term to encourage other criminals to cooperate in exchange for a lenient sentence.

Mr. Abramoff, Ms. Butler said, contributed substantially to the conviction of about 10 officials, including a member of Congress, Bob Ney, Republican of Ohio. “We need to send a message to our other cooperators,” Ms. Butler said.

Judge Huvelle said she had recognized Mr. Abramoff’s cooperation by sharply reducing his sentence. But she noted the corrosive effect of his behavior on public trust in government and, in the end, sentenced him to nine months longer than the 39-month sentence the government had sought. Mr. Abramoff, who is described by his lawyers as penniless, still owes about $15 million in restitution to various Indian tribes.

Mr. Abramoff has served about two years of a separate sentence in an unrelated fraud case in Florida involving cruise ships. In all, Mr. Abramoff will serve about six years in prison on both convictions.

Beginning shortly after the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994, Mr. Abramoff was at the center of a lobbying conglomerate that defrauded Indian tribes of millions and used much of that money to try to win favor with members of Congress and their senior staff members. Mr. Abramoff and his informal business partner, Michael Scanlon, an independent public-relations consultant who had been a spokesman for Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House Republican leader at the time, took in an estimated $66 million in fees from Indian tribes in just a few years.

Two Indian leaders urged the judge to impose the stiffest possible sentence.

Bernie Sprague, who had been a member of the tribal council of the Saginaw Chippewa in Michigan, said Mr. Abramoff had defrauded his tribe out of millions of dollars. Records produced at a Senate hearing showed that Mr. Abramoff had persuaded the tribe to donate to several political figures, including Mr. DeLay.

“Families and children suffered much pain because of this man,” Mr. Sprague said, pointing to Mr. Abramoff. He said that Mr. Abramoff had left a “dark stain” across the entire Indian nation, adding, “Thank you, Jack!”

David Sickey of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana told the court that Mr. Abramoff had exploited the tribe’s lack of sophistication. “Please give Jack Abramoff a sentence that reflects the enormity of his crime and which takes into account his failure to return the money he stole from our people,” Mr. Sickey said.

In his high-flying days, Mr. Abramoff was the master of the Congressional junket, flying dozens of members of Congress and their aides to high-priced resorts, the most infamous of which was a golf course in Scotland.

People convicted in the Abramoff investigation
By The Associated Press – 1 day ago
LINK

Lawmakers, lobbyists, Bush administration officials, congressional staffers and businessmen caught up in the Jack Abramoff public corruption probe:

*Abramoff was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison on charges of mail fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion. Since pleading guilty in 2006, the once-powerful lobbyist has cooperated with the federal investigation of influence-peddling in Washington. He is nearly two years into a six-year prison sentence in a criminal case out of Florida, where he pleaded guilty in January 2006 to charges of conspiracy, honest services fraud and tax evasion in the purchase of gambling cruise boats.

*John Albaugh, a one-time top aide to former Oklahoma Rep. Ernest Istook pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the House as part of the scandal. Albaugh admitted in federal court in Washington that he accepted meals and sports and concert tickets, along with other perks, from lobbyists in exchange for official favors. He is cooperating with investigators.

*Robert E. Coughlin II, a Justice Department official, pleaded guilty to conflict of interest. He admitted in federal court in Washington that he accepted meals, concert tickets and luxury seats at Redskins and Wizards games from a former Abramoff associate, lobbyist Kevin Ring, while helping the lobbyist and his clients. Coughlin is cooperating with investigators.

*Italia Federici, co-founder of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, was sentenced to two months in a halfway house, four years on probation and a $74,000 fine after agreeing to help federal investigators. She pleaded guilty to tax evasion and obstruction of a Senate investigation into Abramoff's relationship with officials at the Department of Interior.

*Former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, acknowledged taking bribes from Abramoff. Ney was in the traveling party on an Abramoff-sponsored golfing trip to Scotland at the heart of the case against former White House official David Safavian. Ney was released in August — a year early — after completing treatment for alcohol problems.

*Former Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles, the highest-ranking Bush administration official convicted in the scandal, was sentenced to 10 months in prison for obstructing justice. He admitted lying to a Senate committee about his relationship with Abramoff, who repeatedly sought Griles' intervention at Interior on behalf of Indian tribal clients.

*Tony Rudy, lobbyist and one-time aide to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, pleaded guilty in March 2006 to conspiring with Abramoff. He is cooperating with investigators.

*David Safavian, the Bush administration's former top procurement official, was sentenced to 18 months in prison in October 2006. Safavian, the only scandal defendant to take his case to court, was found guilty of covering up his dealings with Abramoff. In July, a federal appeals court overturned his conviction. The Justice Department plans to retry him.

*Michael Scanlon, a former Abramoff business partner and DeLay aide, pleaded guilty in November 2005 to conspiring to bribe public officials in connection with his lobbying work on behalf of Indian tribes and casino issues. He is cooperating with investigators.

*William Heaton, former chief of staff for Ney, pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge involving a golf trip to Scotland, expensive meals, and tickets to sporting events between 2002 and 2004 as payoffs for helping Abramoff's clients. He cooperated with investigators and was sentenced to two years probation and a $5,000 fine.

*Neil Volz, a former chief of staff to Ney who left government to work for Abramoff, was sentenced to two years of probation, 100 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiring to corrupt Ney and others with trips and other aid.

*Mark Zachares, former aide to Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, pleaded guilty to conspiracy. He acknowledged accepting tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts and a golf trip to Scotland from Abramoff's team in exchange for official acts on the lobbyist's behalf.

*Roger Stillwell, a former Interior Department official, was sentenced to two years on probation in January after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge for not reporting hundreds of dollars worth of sports and concert tickets he received from Abramoff.

*Former Abramoff business partner Adam Kidan, sentenced in Florida in March 2006 to nearly six years in prison for conspiracy and fraud in the 2000 purchase of the Fort Lauderdale-based SunCruz Casinos gambling fleet.

chicagotribune.com
Officials snared by scandal
Chicago Tribune, September 5, 2008
LINK

Among those caught up in the Abramoff corruption probe:

Ex-Rep. Bob Ney: Ohio Republican was sentenced to 21/2 years, acknowledged taking bribes from Abramoff.

Steven Griles: Former deputy Interior secretary is highest-ranking Bush administration official convicted in the scandal. Sentenced to 10 months for obstructing justice.

David Safavian: Bush administration's former top procurement official was sentenced to 18 months for covering up dealings with Abramoff. Conviction was overturned; he faces retrial.

Robert Coughlin: Former Justice Department official pleaded guilty to conflict of interest and is cooperating with investigators.

Tony Rudy: Lobbyist and onetime aide to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay pleaded guilty to conspiring with Abramoff. He is cooperating with investigators.

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