Abramoff Gets 4 Years
Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment yesterday, as reported by the Associated Press. The Abramoff scandal shook Washington and contributed to the Republicans' loss of Congress in the 2006 mid-term elections. Following his arrest, Abramoff cooperated with the FBI in investigating his own corruption and that of others. Abramoff assisted the Justice Department in obtaining corruption convictions against former Republican Representative Bob Ney, former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles and several aides.
Abramoff told the court that he was a "broken man," and was not the same person "who happily and arrogantly engaged in a lifestyle of political and business corruption." Abramoff's cooperation with the government spared him what could have been a maximum sentence of 11 years. He also faces criminal proceedings in Florida for a fraudulent casino deal.
