20th Person Faces Conviction In Abramoff Scandal
Jack Abramoff was very close to the Bush Administration (welcomebacktopottersville.blogspot.com)
Five years have passed since Jack Abramoff was sentenced to prison due to his acts as a lobbyist.
However, it seems that the trials based on the Abramoff scandal are still running their course, as the 20th person is to be convicted this year. The massive scandal that took over the D.C. capital in 2006, when super lobbyist Jack Abramoff was convicted to 6 years of prison, as he was found guilty for conspiracy to corrupt public officials, mail fraud and tax evasion in a lobbying operation that involved providing large amounts of money and huge favors to members of Congress. During this time, since 2006, 19 people, including Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon, but also other lobbyists, lawmakers and congressional aides, have been convicted for as part of the influence-peddling scandal that helped Republicans lose control of Congress in 2006.
Now it is time for Fraser Verrusio to face charges of receiving gifts in exchange for political favors. The man was convicted for accepting an all-expenses paid trip to the 2003 World Series, that cost around $1,300, so as to make some changes and add some amendments into the Federal Highway Bill. As far as Verrusio is concerned, it seems that he accepted an illegal gratuity, which he did not mention on his financial disclosure statement. U.S. office people must state every “gift” that exceeds the sum of $285, so as to make sure no one is taking advantage of his or her position in state. However, Mr. Verrusio did not disclose the fact that back in 2003 he was offered a 2-day trip, where he received gifts of about $1,300. According to csmonitor.com, Fraser Verrusio, a policy director of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, was bribed with a $300 hotel room that included room service, a $275 for the Cadillac Escalade, a $115 steak dinner, alongside with the Game ticket that cost around $110, a baseball jersey that cost $130 and a trip to the strip club that cost about $150. Total, $1,300 for introducing in the Federal Highway Bill three amendments.
Moreover, it seems that Verrusio was contacted by some lobbyists and an official from the rental company, who were Abramoff’s clients, who took him and another legislative aide to New York for the Game, back in October 2003. “The trip was funded by the equipment rental company and the lobbyist’s firm, “and trail evidence showed that one of the lobbyists involved in the trip was working for Abramoff “and that the equipment rental company was a client at Abramoff’s firm.”
Furthermore, it seems that these people do not understand that their job does not allow them to accept gifts in exchange for intervene into the process of passing bills. What’s more is that it is very much illegal to use your power in Congress for favoring different persons who offer you expensive gifts. “Today, a federal jury in the District of Columbia sent a strong message that corruption on Capitol Hill will not be tolerated,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman. “This case of public corruption serves as a reminder that misuse of position extends to all levels of government service,” said James McJunkin, the assistant director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Abramoff was the best lobbyist the United States ever had – he had everything a lobbyist needed: conviction and power of persuasion. Still, it seems that fame and money are way more important than being a respectful and honest citizen and once you get some, you only want more. The scandal that Abramoff started has been running for a long time now and hopefully, aside of the 20th people already convicted, there will be no one else, although it is quite hard to believe that.
For those who do not remember, Jack Abramoff was such an influential person in the Bush administration that he helped Republicans lose control of Congress in 2006. How did he do that? It’s pretty easy, really. Having some connections in the Congress is always helpful and if you know what gifts to buy (and Abramoff was doing his job thoroughly), anyone would stop to listen to what you have to say. This is how Bills were passed; some of them were changed and so on. Abramoff was especially interested in the Casinos of Native-Americans, who wanted their life-work income to stay untouched. Thus, they were willing to do anything to keep their casinos open for business. This is when Abramoff and Scanlon, along with their team of super lobbyists, made an appearance and the two ripped the Indian Casinos of about $85 million, which were split in half among the two, under the table.
It seems that Frasier Verrusio’s trial was the last to grow out of the federal investigation of corruption in relation to Jack Abramoff. The Justice Department obtained convictions against all charged: 18 people pleaded guilty and the 3 who went to trial were found guilty by juries. Verrusio’s sentencing is set for the 6th of May and he faces up to 12 years in prison, but also a $750,000 fine.
For those of you who are interested in how lobbying works and how much work is put into it, check out the two movies that were released in 2010, regarding Abramoff’s life: Casino Jack (a feature film, starring Kevin Spacey as Abramoff) and Casino Jack and the United States of Money (a very interesting documentary). These two films show very well what Abramoff and Scanlon did and their modus operandi is also revealed.
