posted on August 12, 2005 03:24:25 PM new
08/12/2005 ) U.S. Fraud Charge for Republican Lobbyist
Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist involved in ethics allegations facing Representative Tom DeLay, was indicted in Florida on Thursday
Abramoff has close ties to several influential GOP leaders, among them Americans for Tax Reform director Grover Norquist, and former Christian Coalition chief Ralph Reed
Abramoff was indicted on fraud charges with five counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy in their purchase of a charged with five counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy in the $147.5 million purchase of the shipping line, SunCruz Casinos, in 2000 from a businessman who was later killed in a gangland-style hit
Amid bitter legal fighting over the sale, Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis was shot to death five months later in 2001 what police called a hit
They are accused of presenting lenders with a counterfeit document suggesting that they had arranged a $23 million wire transfer to the seller
Abramoff leveraged his connections with members of Congress to advance the SunCruz deal
And as the SunCruz deal was closing, Abramoff brought his lead financier to a DeLay fundraiser in the lobbyist's box at FedEx Field during a Monday Night Football game between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys
Abramoff listed Tony Rudy, a top DeLay aide at the time, and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) as personal references on his loan papers
Abramoff's attorney had no comment when asked if the indictment would provide the Justice Department with leverage in pressing Abramoff to cooperate in a separate grand jury investigation here focused on his multimillion-dollar lobbying contracts with the gambling operations of Indian tribes
Abramoff's lobbying for Indian tribes is under scrutiny in Washington by the Justice Department, the Interior Department, the Treasury Department and two Senate committees
Democratic Congressional leaders have called on the House ethics committee to investigate the relationship between Abramoff and Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, and the propriety of lavish overseas trips that Abramoff arranged for DeLay, a Texas Republican
In a Washington investigation, a task force of the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and other agencies is exploring how Abramoff and Scanlon collected $82 million in fees for lobbying and public affairs work from Indian tribes around the country
The task force is also investigating whether Abramoff and his associates exerted improper influence over members of Congress and federal agencies on behalf of their clients
Abramoff collected more than $100,000 for President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and raised thousands of dollars for DeLay and other Republican members of Congress
Abramoff also was friends with former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, now a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in Georgia
Abramoff was taken into custody in Los Angeles Thursday""""""
