Jack Abramoff Gets 5 Years, 10 Months In Prison
Washington lobbyist gets 6 years for Miami fraud
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/crime_abramoff_dc
By Jim Loney
17 minutes ago
MIAMI (Reuters) - Jack Abramoff, a disgraced lobbyist at the heart of a Washington influence-peddling scandal that has rattled top Republicans, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison on Wednesday for fraud in the purchase of a Florida casino cruise line.
Abramoff, who is cooperating in a federal investigation into whether Washington politicians gave his clients favorable treatment in exchange for campaign contributions, Super Bowl tickets and other illegal gifts, was also ordered to pay $21.7 million, together with a co-defendant, in restitution.
"I am much chastened and profoundly remorseful," Abramoff told the Miami court in a brief statement.
Co-defendant Adam Kidan was also sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison. Both will remain out of jail for at least three months. They will be on probation for three years after their release from prison.
Abramoff pleaded guilty in a Miami federal court in January to conspiracy and wire fraud charges, acknowledging he faked documents to get a $60 million loan to buy the SunCruz fleet of gambling ships in 2000.
The documents falsely claimed Abramoff and business partner Kidan had put $23 million of their own money into the deal.
The acknowledgment of guilt was tied to a plea bargain deal that involves cooperating in a federal investigation into whether he showered golf trips, meals, sports tickets and other gifts on lawmakers -- almost all Republicans -- in return for actions that would help his clients.
Abramoff has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges in Washington, and federal investigators are examining his links to a number of politicians, including former House Majority leader Tom DeLay of Texas and Republican Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record) of Ohio. DeLay and Ney have denied any wrongdoing.
"Mr. Abramoff will continue to do what he can to cooperate and to make amends in this case," his lawyer, Neal Sonnett, said after sentencing.
In a recent Vanity Fair interview, Abramoff said that he worked closely with many top Republicans and said if they denied it, they were lying.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said Abramoff had given Republican lawmakers more than $120,000.
It accused some Republicans of refusing to hand back the money, and urged voters to take note of the corruption scandal at mid-term elections in November, when the Democrats hope to wrest control of Congress from Republicans.
"With so many thousands of dollars shelled out to Republicans in Congress and so many Republicans in Congress holding fast to Abramoff's tainted cash, American families are again reminded of the cost of the corruption that he engineered in Washington, D.C.," Bill Burton, the campaign committee's communications director, said in a statement.
Abramoff and Kidan bought SunCruz from Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, who was shot dead in an ambush on a street in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in February 2001. Three men were charged in the killing last year.
Abramoff and Kidan have both said they know nothing about Boulis' death.
