Jack Abramoff

[[File:Jack_Abramoff_at_"In_the_Dock"_2011.jpg|right|thumb|165px|"''Bribes'', you say?"]]{{uspolitics}}
'''Jack Abramoff''' {{lived|1959}} is a [[Republican]] [[lobbyist]] and good friend of [[Tom DeLay]],<ref>[http://www.abramoff.com/10/biography/ From his website]</ref> until he was caught taking bribes from both sides in a case of two [[Native American]] tribes that were each fighting to get the other's [[gambling|casino]] shut down.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/01/04/timeline-key-events-in-jack-abramoff-investigation.html Timeline of Key Events in Jack Abramoff Investigation]</ref> He was sentenced to six years in federal prison in January 2006 and was released in December 2010. For the latter part of his sentence he was transferred to a halfway house and earned between $7.50 and $10.00 per hour as an accountant for a pizza company.<ref>[http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/jack-abramoff-pizza-guy Crooks and Liars - Jack Abramoff, Pizza Guy]</ref>

In 2002, there was also a grand jury investigation into some money he received. Strangely, a day after this investigation was announced, the chief prosecutor for the case and instigator of the investigation was unexpectedly demoted by [[Dubya]] after which the whole thing fizzled out.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/27/politics/demotion-of-a-prosecutor-is-investigated.html</ref>

He was also the producer of an '80s anti-[[Communism|commie]] action movie that got in serious trouble for using [[South Africa]]n army units as extras, in direct violation of the anti-[[apartheid]] rules set up by the SAG. Pro-freedom indeed.

==Prison success story? Maybe not...==
After being released from [[prison]], he (ostensibly) became a campaigner against the legalized bribery that is the US's lobbying system. He has written a {{wpl|Capitol Punishment (book)|book detailing his crimes}} and what, as an insider, he thinks should be done to fix the system, painting himself as a fallen knight seeking redemption. So far so good, even if self-serving...

But then: In June 2020 Abramoff was charged in federal court with fraud in connection with a $5 million cryptocurrency deal.<ref>https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/lobbyist-jack-abramoff-and-ceo-rowland-marcus-andrade-charged-fraud-connection-5</ref> He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and violating the Lobbying Disclosure Act in relation to the AML BitCoin case. Abramoff faces up to five years in prison for each count. Ironically, this makes him the first person to be convicted under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, which was amended as a result of his previous misconduct.<ref>[https://www.loweringthebar.net/2020/10/criminal-becomes-first-person-to-break-law-passed-because-of-his-crimes.html Criminal Becomes First Person to Break Law Passed Because of His Crimes] Lowering the Bar, October 12, 2020</ref>. Oh dear.

==See also==
*[[Northern Mariana Islands]]: Abramoff lobbied on behalf of them for years, and one of their governors was impeached for, among other things, his connection to Abramoff.<ref>John Celock, [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/benigno-fitial-impeached_n_2664553 Benigno Fitial, Northern Mariana Islands Governor, Impeached By House In Massage Scandal], The Huffington Post, 11 Feb. 2013</ref>

==External links==
*[[SourceWatch]] has a [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Jack_Abramoff more detailed page] on his shenanigans

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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Categories: Authors, Business, Convicted felons, Criminals, Film-makers, Jews, Living people, Right-wing activists, United States politicians, Criminals