Top Lobbyist Makes A Deal
Abramoff Pleads Guilty In Fraud Case; Could Testify Against Lawmakers
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Play CBS Video Video Abramoff Pleads Guilty Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff's guilty plea on bribery-related charges means that he will help the government go after elected officials who took bribes. Gloria Borger has more on the fallout.
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Video Lobbyist Agrees To Plea Deal Lobbyist Jack Abramoff has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in cooperation with a Justice Department investigation. Claudia Coffey reports.
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Video Repercussions From Abramoff Thomas DeLuca, a professor of political science at Fordham University, discusses what Jack Abramoff's guilty plea could mean for the future of government with Melissa McDermott.
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Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, says he "did not know, and had no way of knowing, the self-serving and fraudulent nature of Abramoff's activities." (AP (file))
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Jack Abramoff, foreground, leaves federal court in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud. At right is his attorney Abbe Lowell. (AP)
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Abramoff faces as much as 11 years in federal prison as well as fines in connection with his guilty pleas on charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion. The precise penalty is to be determined in part by the extent of his cooperation with prosecutors. Together with his former business partner, Michael Scanlon, he is expected to face restitution costs of $25 million.
Abramoff also will be required to pay $1.7 million for unpaid taxes, officials said.
Scanlon pleaded guilty last November to corruption charges as part of the investigation that began 21 months ago.
The Bush administration's former chief procurement official, David H. Safavian, was charged last fall with making false statements and obstructing investigations into a 2002 golf outing. He has pleaded innocent.
The court papers released in connection with Tuesday's plea offered these glimpses into Abramoff's activities:
On behalf of clients eager to stop internet gambling and postal rate legislation, Abramoff paid $50,000 in 10 equal monthly payments beginning in June 2000 to the wife of a congressional aide identified as Staffer A. Based on other information made public, Staffer A was Tony Rudy, at the time a top aide to DeLay. His identity was confirmed by officials who spoke only on condition of anonymity, noting that the court papers did not name the aide.
Austin, Texas District Attorney Ronnie Earle, the prosecutor in a money laundering case against DeLay, issued subpoenas Tuesday in connection with Abramoff. DeLay is fighting state campaign finance charges in Texas, hoping to clear himself in time to reclaim his leadership post in Congress.
Earle is seeking records from Abramoff's former employers, legal firms Greenberg Traurig LLP and Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, LLP.
Earle has also subpoenaed records from lawyers or representatives for two Indian tribes.
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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