One down......and so many more to go!
Abramoff Gets Nearly 6 Years in Fraud Case
From Staff and Wire Reports
10:58 AM PST, March 29, 2006
MIAMI -- A federal judge today sentenced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff to 5 years and 10 months in prison in a Florida fraud case, the Associated Press reported.
Abramoff and former partner Adam Kidan, who received the same sentence, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud stemming from the 2000 purchase of the SunCruz Casinos gambling fleet.
The sentences won't start immediately so they can continue cooperating in a Washington corruption investigation and a Florida probe into the murder of former SunCruz owner Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis.
Abramoff said the case was "incredibly painful" for him, his family and his friends.
"In the past few years I have begun the process of becoming a new man," he said.
Abramoff and Kidan admitted concocting a fake $23-million wire transfer to make it appear they had made a large cash contribution to the $147.5-million purchase of SunCruz Casinos.
Abramoff has also entered guilty pleas to three federal charges as part of a wide-ranging corruption probe that could involve up to 20 members of Congress and aides, including former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas). No date has been set for his sentencing in that case.
Abramoff, 47, and Kidan, 41, are also expected to give statements in the investigation into the Feb. 6, 2001, slaying of Boulis, who was gunned down at the wheel of his car amid a power struggle over the gambling fleet. Three men face murder charges, including one who worked for Kidan as a consultant at SunCruz and who allegedly has ties to New York's Gambino crime family.
Abramoff and Kidan have repeatedly denied any role in or knowledge of the Boulis murder.
U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck sentenced Abramoff today after receiving more than 250 letters saying the disgraced lobbyist deserved a break. The entreaties were from prominent lawyers, religious leaders and even a member of Congress.
They wrote to say that the picture of Abramoff that has emerged through the news media was a gross distortion.
Far from the image of the greedy Beltway operator who stole from Indian tribes, defrauded the Internal Revenue Service and tried to bribe public officials, they said, Abramoff is a man of charity and good works. In their letters, they cite his generosity to others, his deep religious faith and his devotion to his family.
The sole member of Congress who wrote on Abramoff's behalf is a longtime friend, Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of Huntington Beach.
"I think when he is being punished for the things he did that were wrong, some of the things that he did that were right and admirable in the past should be taken into consideration," Rohrabacher said in an interview. "I think that balance is necessary for justice. I think even Jack Abramoff deserves that."
In his letter to the judge, Rohrabacher described "a far different Jack than the profit-seeking megalomaniac portrayed in the press."
Rohrabacher said he was concerned that an inordinately stiff sentence might prevent Abramoff from eventually starting a new life with his wife and children.
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The Associated Press was used in preparing this report. Staff writer Richard B. Schmitt contributed from Washington.
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