Justice Department Agrees Plea Bargain With Jack Abramoff

by Glen Shapiro, LawAndTax-News.com, New York

05 January 2006

A long-ticking bomb exploded in Washington on Tuesday when lobbyist Jack Abramoff agreed a plea bargain with the Justice Department, pleading guilty to conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud charges, and pledging his cooperation with federal prosecutors in bringing charges against former business and political associates.

Although 'favours for votes' is hardly a new story in Washington, and Congress would grind to a halt if lobbying was banned, drawing the line between acceptable and unacceptable favours is difficult. In this case the Justice Department accuses Abramoff of crossing it, and as a past Republican party insider with close links to many prominent law-makers his testimony may have many of them wondering what may come next.

Embattled Congressman Tom DeLay, for instance, once referred to Jack Abramoff as 'one of my closest and dearest friends. However, Tom DeLay's attorney Richard Cullen has said previously that there was no indication the congressman is in jeopardy from the Abramoff investigation. "Mr. DeLay is not concerned about the potential of Mr. Abramoff cooperating with the government," Cullen said in an interview. "Mr DeLay thinks everybody should be cooperating (with investigators) and telling the truth."

Many of the charges against Mr. Abramoff relate to work he did which is alleged to have undermined the interests of Indian tribes and defrauded them by lobbying against the opening of casinos which would have competed with his clients' operations. He has agreed to pay $25 million in restitution to the tribes. He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years, but the Justice Department says that under the terms of his plea agreement he is likely to be gaoled for between 9 and 11 years.

"Words will not be able to ever express how sorry I am for this," Mr. Abramoff said in court as he offered his plea. "I have profound regret and sorrow for the multitude of mistakes and harm I have caused."

Some prominent Congressmen have returned campaign contributions received through Mr Abramoff's firms, and many have sought to distance themselves vigorously from the ongoing investigation.

The Justice Department specified certain particular incidents in 2000 and 2001 concerning a Congressman identified as "Representative #1", and it is reasonably sure that the Department will attack this individual. But it is thought that this will be merely the first of a series of charges that will follow Abramoff's testimony.

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