JURIST - Paper Chase: DOJ Abramoff probe may implicate more government officials

[JURIST] The scope of the US Department of Justice [official website] probe into the dealings of former high-powered Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff [Wikipedia profile; JURIST news archive] may implicate more public officials than previously anticipated, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Prosecutors indicted Abramoff in August [JURIST report] on charges of bank fraud, and he remains the center of an investigation into bribes given to members of Congress in conjunction with lobbying efforts on behalf of Indian casinos. The DOJ is reportedly examining Abramoff's dealings with former house majority leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) [official website; JURIST news archive], Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) [official website], Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) [official website], Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) [official website], 17 current and former congressional aides, and two former Bush administration officials in the Interior Department and government procurement office. On Monday, Abramoff's former lobbying partner Michael Scanlon pleaded guilty [JURIST report] to one count of bribery after federal prosecutors accused him of defrauding Indian clients and "providing things of value" to Rep. Ney. Reuters has more.

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