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Will the Defendant Please Rise . . . What Is Your Plea ?

CaptnKirk

CaptnKirk

Lifer
Myxomycetes, your Honor

Well now, Scanlon, St. Tommy the Pure's Top Aide - pleads guilty to Bribery of Public Officials.

Watch them drop like flies, he's agreed to testify against the co-conspirators so he only get's 5 years, and doesn't have to spoon with Bubba.

<CLIP>

Michael Scanlon, a former partner to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to bribe public officials, a charge growing out of the government investigation of attempts to defraud Indian tribes and corrupt a member of Congress.

Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle and agreed to pay restitution totaling more than $19 million to the tribes.

Scanlon, who is expected to cooperate in the investigation of Abramoff and members of Congress, could face up to five years in prison.

Outside the courthouse, Scanlon attorney Plato Cacheris said his client "is regretful for what happened to the tribes" and is trying to do what is right by cooperating with the investigation.

The charge was in a criminal information filed Friday accusing Scanlon of conspiring with Abramoff to defraud Indian tribes and engage in a corrupt scheme that lavished trips, sports tickets and campaign donations on a member of Congress, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio.

DeLay is among those facing scrutiny for his associations with Abramoff, including a trip to Scotland and use of Abramoff's skybox at a Washington sports arena.

Abramoff's lobbying network stretched far into the halls of Congress. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show nearly three dozen lawmakers helping to block an American Indian casino in Louisiana while collecting large donations from the lobbyist and his tribal clients.

Among the documents were private e-mails, released by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, in which Abramoff said he had persuaded Ney to attach language to an election reform bill to help an American Indian tribe in Texas reopen a closed casino.

Abramoff directed a Texas tribe, the Tiguas, to donate to Ney's re-election campaign and PAC by e-mail.

Abramoff and Scanlon were paid more than $80 million between 2001 and 2004 by six American Indian tribes with casinos.

Mark Tuohey, a Washington attorney for Ney, has said the congressman was misled by other people and was a victim in the circumstances involving Scanlon.

Ney's office performed certain acts and "there was certain other wining and dining situations like other people do," Tuohey said.

DeLay, who relinquished his post as House minority leader after a separate indictment in Texas, is due in court in Austin Tuesday for a hearing seeking dismissal of conspiracy and money laundering charges.


Tommy Boy - that ain't gonna happen . . .
Myxomycetes
 
Just the first of many rollovers, hopefully. Now if prosecutors can just Abramoff to squeal, the revelations will be pretty astounding.

G. Gordon Liddy? Hardly- all these guys will rollover when the time comes. They've made a career out of screaming for mandatory minimum sentences with their "tough on crime" song and dance... they'll have to do so to avoid doing the long sentences they've demanded for others... Current federal rules dictate that a convict serve 17 years out of 20, even with maximum goodtime...

Scanlon did well for himself- the general rule being he who rats first rats best. Once the prosecutor has what he needs, all the remaining defendants just get the high hard one...
 
Hi Tom !

Steve Gilliag's Blogspot makes a nice point:

I think there are probably several members of congress who just soiled themselves.


File under the heading of 'JACKPOT ! '

<WashPost / Lawmakers Who Wrote Letters, Got Money>

The 33 lawmakers who wrote letters urging the Bush administration to reject a Louisiana Indian casino as they collected political money from rival tribes, their lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates between 2001 and 2004.

SENATE

Trent Lott (R-Miss.) $92,000

Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) $82,500

Harry Reid (D-Nev.) $67,441

Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) $62,500

Mary Landrieu (D-La.) $32,000

John Breaux (D-La.) $27,500

John Ensign (R-Nev.) $16,293

David Vitter (R-La.) $6,000 (Vitter refunded these donations on Feb, 18, 2002)

Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) $2,750

HOUSE

Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) $103,500

John Doolittle (R-Calif.) $64,500

Tom DeLay (R-Texas) $57,000

Chris John (D-La.) $56,625

Jim McCrery (R-La.) $36,250

Eric Cantor (R-Va.) $31,500

Ernest Istook (R-Okla.) $29,000

Pete Sessions (R-Texas) $22,500

Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) $20,100

Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) $6,000

Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)$4,000

Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) $3,000

John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) $2,500

Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) $2,500

Sue Myrick (R-La.) $2,000

Ronnie Shows (R-Miss.) $2,000

Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) $2,000

Melissa Hart (R-Pa.) $2,000

Sam Johnson (R-Texas) $2,000

Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) $1,750

Walter Jones (R-N.C.) $1,000

Virgil Goode (R-Va.) $1,000

Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) $1,000

Jim Ryun (R-Kan.) $500

Tom DeLay (R-Texas) $57,000

Chris John (D-La.) $56,625

Jim McCrery (R-La.) $36,250

Eric Cantor (R-Va.) $31,500

Ernest Istook (R-Okla.) $29,000

Pete Sessions (R-Texas) $22,500

Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) $20,100

Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) $6,000

Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)$4,000

Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) $3,000

John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) $2,500

Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) $2,500

Sue Myrick (R-La.) $2,000

Ronnie Shows (R-Miss.) $2,000

Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) $2,000

Melissa Hart (R-Pa.) $2,000

Sam Johnson (R-Texas) $2,000

Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) $1,750

Walter Jones (R-N.C.) $1,000

Virgil Goode (R-Va.) $1,000

Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) $1,000

Jim Ryun (R-Kan.) $500

----------------------------------------

Orange Jumpsuits for everone ! Does one size fit all ?



 
Originally posted by: CaptnKirk
Hi Tom !

Steve Gilliag's Blogspot makes a nice point:

I think there are probably several members of congress who just soiled themselves.


File under the heading of 'JACKPOT ! '

<WashPost / Lawmakers Who Wrote Letters, Got Money>

The 33 lawmakers who wrote letters urging the Bush administration to reject a Louisiana Indian casino as they collected political money from rival tribes, their lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates between 2001 and 2004.

SENATE

Trent Lott (R-Miss.) $92,000

Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) $82,500

Harry Reid (D-Nev.) $67,441

Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) $62,500

Mary Landrieu (D-La.) $32,000

John Breaux (D-La.) $27,500

John Ensign (R-Nev.) $16,293

David Vitter (R-La.) $6,000 (Vitter refunded these donations on Feb, 18, 2002)

Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) $2,750

HOUSE

Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) $103,500

John Doolittle (R-Calif.) $64,500

Tom DeLay (R-Texas) $57,000

Chris John (D-La.) $56,625

Jim McCrery (R-La.) $36,250

Eric Cantor (R-Va.) $31,500

Ernest Istook (R-Okla.) $29,000

Pete Sessions (R-Texas) $22,500

Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) $20,100

Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) $6,000

Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)$4,000

Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) $3,000

John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) $2,500

Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) $2,500

Sue Myrick (R-La.) $2,000

Ronnie Shows (R-Miss.) $2,000

Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) $2,000

Melissa Hart (R-Pa.) $2,000

Sam Johnson (R-Texas) $2,000

Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) $1,750

Walter Jones (R-N.C.) $1,000

Virgil Goode (R-Va.) $1,000

Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) $1,000

Jim Ryun (R-Kan.) $500

Tom DeLay (R-Texas) $57,000

Chris John (D-La.) $56,625

Jim McCrery (R-La.) $36,250

Eric Cantor (R-Va.) $31,500

Ernest Istook (R-Okla.) $29,000

Pete Sessions (R-Texas) $22,500

Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) $20,100

Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) $6,000

Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)$4,000

Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) $3,000

John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) $2,500

Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) $2,500

Sue Myrick (R-La.) $2,000

Ronnie Shows (R-Miss.) $2,000

Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) $2,000

Melissa Hart (R-Pa.) $2,000

Sam Johnson (R-Texas) $2,000

Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) $1,750

Walter Jones (R-N.C.) $1,000

Virgil Goode (R-Va.) $1,000

Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) $1,000

Jim Ryun (R-Kan.) $500

----------------------------------------

Orange Jumpsuits for everone ! Does one size fit all ?
Click to expand...

Mostly the whole Southern States tier of the U.S. and Republican club. The couple of D's peppered in there I'm sure are Republicans in cognitio.
 
Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Mostly the whole Southern States tier of the U.S. and Republican club. The couple of D's peppered in there I'm sure are Republicans in cognitio.
Click to expand...

There is still a huge "Good ole Boy" club here in the deep South. Those D's need to be investigated just as thoroughly as the R's on that list. There are no Republicans in cognito on that list. They are greedy pols who are looking out for themselves instead of the people that they swore to represent.

Immorality isn't something that the Republicans have a monopoly on Dave. The Democrats are just as able and some just as likely to be guilty of these ethical lapses/violations. You can't absolve all Dems or claim that they are really Repubs in cognito any more than you can white wash all Repubs as corrupt because of the seemingly endless parade of some of the current members. Both parties have their crooks and both have good men and women trying their hardest to fight through the corruption to bring us back to our standing in the world.
 
As of now the biggest supprise to me is the names that are 'Missing' from the flow of cash into those who accepted the Big Bucks.

Out of Missouri the names of Kit Bond, James Talent, Roy Blunt, and Mel Blunt - along with everyones favorite John Ashcroft
are a glaring omission. They are deeply involved in the cash flow, don't know how they've been missed,
Maybe they're being saved for the next wave of indictments more directly under the DeLay ledger.
 
Just having a list and checking it twice will not find out who is naughty or nice.

Given that Abramoff, Scanlon, and a pile of others have been running corruption are us monkey business schemes for years os nothing new, what is news is that Scanlon has been caught and is willing to fink out others.

If the sunsequent investigation is complete enough, the bulk of the US congress might face indictment for corruption and with exective department involvement also.. But long odds are that the investigation will be spotty and short----and just a few will be caught. Just depends how froggy the prosecutor feels and what political axes they have to grind.

So I have a wait and see attitude. But when you shine a light on a bunch of cockroaches, there is no telling what they will do and where they will next run for cover.
 
this guy is going to find himself on the business end of a horrific accident.

or "suicide"

or maybe I have watched too many John Grisham movies. 😱

 
Delay has to wait - Charges not dismissed

Rep. Tom DeLay will have to wait for a decision on whether conspiracy charges against him will be dropped without a trial, a judge said Tuesday.
At a hearing, Senior Judge Pat Priest said he wanted to read written responses from both sides before making his ruling, and didn't say how long it might take. The hearing on various motions was continuing Tuesday.

DeLay, fighting to regain his post as House majority leader, appeared in court before Priest for the first time as his legal team tried to get the charges accusing him of violating state campaign finance law dropped. Among other things, he is arguing that the conspiracy charges were based on a law that wasn't even on the books when the alleged conspiracy happened.

"There's no such thing in 2002 as conspiracy to violate the election code," lawyer Dick DeGuerin argued Tuesday.

Prosecutor Rick Reed disputed that argument, saying the Legislature was just clarifying the law in 2003 and that state law has long defined conspiracy as an agreement to commit any felony.

Priest was appointed to the case after DeLay's attorneys succeeded in having the first judge removed because of his campaign contributions to Democratic candidates and causes.

He and Republican fundraisers John Colyandro and Jim Ellis are accused of operating a 2002 campaign finance scheme that prosecutors say funneled $190,000 in restricted corporate money to seven Texas House candidates in violation of state law.

DeLay is accused of sending the money to an arm of the Republican National Committee, which then gave the same amount of money to Texas legislative candidates. The direct use of corporate money for political purposes is illegal in Texas.

"It was basically a negotiated swap," Reed said in court. "It was done in this manner in order to disguise the fact that this ... had been negotiated."
 
I also point out the bug man T. Delay from Texas has another problem. He has to get this charge against him dismissed by early January of 06 or he will not be able to run for any house leadership
position. After wasting a month playing musical judges, his motion of a summary dismisal also failed. The more legal games he plays the longer it takes.

Not a very smart man----after years in the pest extermination business, he never did learn that effective pests hide behind walls and stay invisable.

So seeking a highly visable house leadership position is just saying I so powerful I can't be exterminated. For the sake of this country, I hope he is wrong.
 
Originally posted by: RightIsWrong
Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Mostly the whole Southern States tier of the U.S. and Republican club. The couple of D's peppered in there I'm sure are Republicans in cognitio.
Click to expand...

There is still a huge "Good ole Boy" club here in the deep South. Those D's need to be investigated just as thoroughly as the R's on that list. There are no Republicans in cognito on that list. They are greedy pols who are looking out for themselves instead of the people that they swore to represent.

Immorality isn't something that the Republicans have a monopoly on Dave. The Democrats are just as able and some just as likely to be guilty of these ethical lapses/violations. You can't absolve all Dems or claim that they are really Repubs in cognito any more than you can white wash all Repubs as corrupt because of the seemingly endless parade of some of the current members. Both parties have their crooks and both have good men and women trying their hardest to fight through the corruption to bring us back to our standing in the world.
Click to expand...

Well said...corruption is bipartisan
 
It may be bipartisan but, right now, the GOP is most definitely the Culture of Corruption:

Four congressmembers role in Abramoff lobbying scandal probed
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Four_cong...rs_role_in_Abramoff_lobbying_1125.html
A Justice Department investigation into possible influence-peddling by prominent Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff is examining his dealings with four lawmakers, more than a dozen current and former congressional aides and two former Bush administration officials, lawyers and others involved in the case tell the WALL STREET JOURNAL Friday. Excerpts (Full paid-restricted story).
#

Investigators want to know whether Mr. Abramoff and his lobbying firm partners made illegal payoffs to lawmakers and aides in the form of campaign contributions, sports tickets, meals, travel and job offers, in exchange for helping their clients. A Justice Department argument that political contributions are akin to bribery if the lobbyist is looking for something in return would force a big change in the way lobbyists ply their trade.

The Justice Department's probe is far broader than previously thought. Those involved in Mr. Abramoff's case say that the Justice Department investigation could take years to complete.

Prosecutors in the department's public integrity and fraud divisions -- separate units that report to the assistant attorney general for the criminal division -- are looking into Mr. Abramoff's interactions with former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, Rep. Bob Ney (R., Ohio), Rep. John Doolittle (R., Calif.) and Sen. Conrad Burns (R., Mont.), according to several people close to the investigation.

Prosecutors also are investigating at least 17 current and former congressional aides, about half of whom later took lobbying jobs with Mr. Abramoff, say lawyers and others involved in the case. Five of the former aides worked for Mr. DeLay, including Tony Rudy, Ed Buckham and Susan Hirschmann. The three were top aides to Mr. DeLay and are now Washington lobbyists. None returned calls or emails seeking comment.

The Journal explores the possible role of Sen. Burns: "Mr. Burns, the Montana congressman, helped one of Mr. Abramoff's clients -- the Saginaw Chippewa tribe in Michigan -- win a $3 million grant from Congress. Mr. Burns was the chairman of a key Senate subcommittee that allocated the funds to the tribe."

And of Rep. Doolittle: :It isn't clear what involvement, if any, Mr. Doolittle had with Mr. Abramoff. The Justice Department subpoenaed documents more than a year ago from Mr. Doolittle's wife, a Republican fund-raiser. Mr. Abramoff also hired Kevin Ring, a top Doolittle aide."

The Department is also probing former deputy Secretary of the Interior Steven Griles and former top Bush procurement officer David Safavian.
Click to expand...
 
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