Free Republic

MIAMI – Once-powerful lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to conspiracy and wire fraud stemming from his 2000 purchase of a gambling boat fleet. The plea by Abramoff, 46, before U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck came a day after Abramoff entered guilty pleas to three other federal charges as part of an agreement with prosecutors requiring him to cooperate in a broad corruption investigation into members of Congress. Like a former business partner did last month, Abramoff pleaded guilty to concocting a false $23 million wire transfer that made it appear as if the pair contributed...

Detectives say that there are new developments in the investigation into the mob-style murder of well-known South Florida businessman Gus Boulis. Investigators said Friday that reputed Gambino family crime associate Anthony Moscatiello is ratting on the other two men arrested, but he is not implicating himself. Moscatiello received thousands of dollars in Sun Cruz checks, money that investigators said they believe was the payoff for the murder of Boulis. Moscatiello, along with Anthony Ferrari and James Fiorillo, are charged with gunning down Boulis back in 2001. Moscatiello and Ferrari are charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation...

Little attention has been paid to [Jack] Abramoff's relationship with Adam Kidan, or to Kidan's relationship with the mob. At first blush this is understandable. Between Boulis's murder in early 2001 and the recent arrests of Moscatiello, Ferrari, and Fiorillo, little was known about the circumstances of the shooting. But it is now clear that Gus Boulis links all these men. He sold SunCruz [Casino cruise ships] to Kidan and Abramoff six months before he was murdered. The sale was highly irregular, and afterwards Boulis feuded constantly with Kidan and Abramoff about how the company should be run. Kidan, moreover,...

MIAMI - Federal prosecutors are seeking bank fraud charges against lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a key figure in investigations involving House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, The Associated Press learned Thursday. The charges stem from the 2000 purchase by Abramoff and his partners of SunCruz Casinos and the alleged use of a fake wire transfer of $23 million aimed at influencing lenders to provide millions of dollars for the deal. Exact details of the charges were not immediately available. A grand jury, meeting in Miami, could hand up indictments against Abramoff as early as Thursday, federal law enforcement sources said. They spoke...