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| − | A former chairman of the College [[Republican]]s and a superlobbyist. | + | A former chairman of the College Republicans and a superlobbyist. |
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| − | Jack Abramoff was convicted of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion and is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland. | + | Jack Abramoff was convicted of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion and is currently in prison. |
| − | Abramoff pled guilty on January 3, 2006, to three criminal felony counts in a Washington, D.C., federal court related to the defrauding of American Indian tribes and corruption of public officials.[1] The following day, on January 4, he pled guilty to two criminal felony counts in a separate federal court, in Miami, related to his fraudulent dealings with SunCruz Casinos.[2]
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| − | 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. His prison sentence was the minimum permitted under a plea bargain with federal prosecutors, in part because of his purported cooperation in the federal investigation. In October 2006, more than six months after his sentencing, he was ordered by a federal judge to report to federal prison by November 15, 2006.
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| − | The delay in Abramoff's imprisonment allowed him to testify in a related investigation involving the Florida gang-style murder of SunCruz Casinos owner Konstantinos Boulis and to continue cooperation with a vast investigation related to federal lobbying and related activities.
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| − | Given the complexity of the alleged crimes by Abramoff and his associates and their apparent ability to alter major pieces of federal legislation through their illegal acts, the U.S. Department of Justice has appointed an entire inter-governmental task force, including the FBI, which has been aggressively investigating Abramoff and dozens of his closest political associates and Congressional allies for nearly two years.
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| − | In addition to offering many Republican members of Congress free meals at his expensive restaurant, Signatures, Abramoff maintained four skyboxes at major sports arenas for political entertaining at a cost of over $1 million a year. Abramoff hosted many fundraisers at these skyboxes including events for politicians publicly opposed to gambling, such as John Doolittle.[43]
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| − | [[DeLay]], [[Ney]] and Florida Republican Representative [[Tom Feeney]] have each gone on golf trips to Scotland that were apparently arranged or funded by Abramoff. These trips took place in 2000, 2002, and 2003. Ney and Feeney each claimed that their trips were paid for by the National Center for Public Policy Research, but the group denied this. Spokespeople for Ney and Feeney blamed others for filing errors. Ney later pleaded guilty to knowing that Abramoff had paid for the trip.
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| − | A former top procurement official in the Bush administration, David H. Safavian, has been convicted of lying and obstruction of justice in connection with the Abramoff investigation. Safavian, who traveled to Scotland with Reed and Ney on a golf outing arranged by Abramoff, was accused of concealing from federal investigators that Abramoff was seeking to do business with the General Services Administration at the time of the golf trip—in particular, seeking help finding property for his private religious school Eshkol Academy and for one of his tribal clients. Safavian was then GSA chief of staff.
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| − | The extensive corruption investigation has led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine other lobbyists and Congressional aides.
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| − | {{DEFAULTSORT:Abramoff, Jack}}
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| − | [[Category:Political people]] | |
| − | [[Category:Criminals]]
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| − | [[Category:Crime]]
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