Jack Abramoff

Convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, still serving a sentence for defrauding clients and conspiring to bribe public officials, has a new job: He's selling pizzas in Baltimore rather than influence in Washington. Abramoff, recently released from a federal prison camp in Cumberland to a halfway house in Baltimore, began working Monday at Tov Pizza on Reisterstown Road. "I think people get a second chance," said Ron Rosenbluth, owner of the shop, which boasts of the city's best kosher pizza — which means lots of veggie options but no meat.

White-collar scandals come so quickly these days that if you don't work on Wall Street or inside the Beltway, it's difficult to distinguish between scoundrels. When you first hear the name " Jack Abramoff," you might think that he was the one who ripped off everyone from Elie Wiesel to Steven Spielberg. No, that was Bernie Madoff, the New York financier who amassed a fortune with a Ponzi scheme.. Abramoff is the Washington lobbyist who became notorious for ruthlessly overcharging American Indian tribes by scores of millions of dollars while currying support for their casinos.

White-collar scandals come so quickly these days that if you don't work on Wall Street or inside the Beltway, it's difficult to distinguish between scoundrels. When you first hear the name " Jack Abramoff," you might think that he was the one who ripped off everyone from Elie Wiesel to Steven Spielberg. No, that was Bernie Madoff, the New York financier who amassed a fortune with a Ponzi scheme.. Abramoff is the Washington lobbyist who became notorious for ruthlessly overcharging American Indian tribes by scores of millions of dollars while currying support for their casinos.

So, what we have here is Jack Abramoff, the disgraced convicted felon going from lying and cheating to selling pizza ("Jack Abramoff's new job: selling pizza, not influence," June 23). Now who say's crime doesn't pay? From $750 per hour to around $10 per is quite a fall from grace, or should I say disgrace. Shame on the Baltimore Sun and Jean Marbella for even acknowledging this corrupt individual. Here is a man who defrauded thousands and ruined thousands more lives, and now he is paraded like a celebrity.

The abandoned school in Columbia, its black and gold team colors still painted on the walls, holds the dusty remains of a Washington operator's grand plans. The Eshkol Academy, founded by super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, promised a top-flight Orthodox Jewish education and gleaming facilities. Eshkol, its crest a raging lion, advertised all the privileges of a power school - a state-of-the-art sports program, a path to a fine college, a means to a sparkling resume. But a year ago, after two problem-filled terms, Abramoff stepped onto the school grounds from his chauffeured limousine and announced that Eshkol would close its doors.

So, what we have here is Jack Abramoff, the disgraced convicted felon going from lying and cheating to selling pizza ("Jack Abramoff's new job: selling pizza, not influence," June 23). Now who say's crime doesn't pay? From $750 per hour to around $10 per is quite a fall from grace, or should I say disgrace. Shame on the Baltimore Sun and Jean Marbella for even acknowledging this corrupt individual. Here is a man who defrauded thousands and ruined thousands more lives, and now he is paraded like a celebrity.

A day after Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to federal fraud and tax evasion charges, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said he would return the $16,000 in campaign contributions he received from the lobbyist and his wife. The Maryland Republican Party also returned $4,020 it received from the Abramoffs, and Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski announced plans to donate to charity money she received from Indian tribes that were Abramoff clients. But the other Maryland Democrat who received money from Abramoff clients, Rep. Steny H. Hoyer of Southern Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, planned last night to keep the money, according to his spokesman.

WASHINGTON -- Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff still has connections in the capital - more than 250 of them to be precise - including prominent lawyers, religious leaders and a member of Congress. In letters to U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck, they are urging leniency when Abramoff is sentenced tomorrow in a Miami fraud case, saying that the picture of Abramoff that has emerged through the news media is a gross distortion and that he deserves a break. Far from his depiction as a greedy lobbyist who stole from Indian tribes, defrauded the Internal Revenue Service and tried to bribe public officials, they say, Abramoff is a man of charity and good works.

WASHINGTON -- Appeals court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh, a White House lawyer and staff secretary to President Bush, told Senate Democrats yesterday that he learned about the controversies involving warrantless wiretapping, legal uses of torture and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff by reading the newspapers. Kavanaugh, 41, is slated to become a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. During his second and final hearing before the Judiciary Committee, Democrats quizzed him on whether he had played a role in those legal controversies.

WASHINGTON -- Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist who may be facing an array of fraud and corruption charges, has been talking with prosecutors about a deal that would grant him a reduced sentence in exchange for testifying against former political and business associates, people with detailed knowledge of the case have said. Abramoff is believed to have extensive knowledge of what prosecutors suspect is a wider pattern of corruption among lawmakers and congressional staffs. One participant in the case who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, described him as a "unique resource."

Convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, still serving a sentence for defrauding clients and conspiring to bribe public officials, has a new job: He's selling pizzas in Baltimore rather than influence in Washington. Abramoff, recently released from a federal prison camp in Cumberland to a halfway house in Baltimore, began working Monday at Tov Pizza on Reisterstown Road. "I think people get a second chance," said Ron Rosenbluth, owner of the shop, which boasts of the city's best kosher pizza — which means lots of veggie options but no meat.

A documentary about Jack Abramoff being released today already has a cult following: Maryland Democrats. The party of Gov. Martin O'Malley is promoting the movie, Casino Jack and the United States of Money, because rival candidate Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. pops up in it. Ehrlich is in a smiling snapshot with the disgraced lobbyist, who is now serving four years in federal prison. The Democrats say Ehrlich's connection to Abramoff "runs deep," pointing to a Hanukkah party Abramoff attended at the Governor's mansion and a $16,000 donation that Ehrlich accepted from Abramoff, though he returned it. They also have a mutual friend, Edward B. Miller.

Duncan sends back Abramoff funds Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, a Democratic candidate for governor, said last night that he was returning campaign contributions received seven years ago linked to convicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. "It has come to my attention that seven years ago I received contributions to my county executive campaign account from corporations related to or affiliated with Montgomery County resident Jack Abramoff," Duncan said in a statement.

WASHINGTON -- Appeals court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh, a White House lawyer and staff secretary to President Bush, told Senate Democrats yesterday that he learned about the controversies involving warrantless wiretapping, legal uses of torture and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff by reading the newspapers. Kavanaugh, 41, is slated to become a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. During his second and final hearing before the Judiciary Committee, Democrats quizzed him on whether he had played a role in those legal controversies.

WASHINGTON -- Slipping pet projects into spending bills has long been a point of pride among Washington's lawmakers. But growing discord over the practice is expected to pit Republican against Republican this week in the GOP-controlled Congress. The major dispute involves projects contained in a "must-pass" emergency spending bill for the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. A handful of Republican senators plan to challenge several of the funding requests unrelated to the war or hurricane recovery.

WASHINGTON -- A second former top aide to Texas Republican Rep. Tom DeLay pleaded guilty yesterday in the widening influence-peddling scandal surrounding fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff - one more sign that prosecutors are continuing to build a case that could ensnare one or more members of Congress, including the former House majority leader. Tony Rudy, DeLay's one-time deputy chief of staff, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a single charge of conspiracy in connection with the scandal, admitting that he trafficked in cash, gifts and other favors both while working in the leadership office and after leaving government to lobby his old acquaintances for Abramoff and his clients.

A documentary about Jack Abramoff being released today already has a cult following: Maryland Democrats. The party of Gov. Martin O'Malley is promoting the movie, Casino Jack and the United States of Money, because rival candidate Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. pops up in it. Ehrlich is in a smiling snapshot with the disgraced lobbyist, who is now serving four years in federal prison. The Democrats say Ehrlich's connection to Abramoff "runs deep," pointing to a Hanukkah party Abramoff attended at the Governor's mansion and a $16,000 donation that Ehrlich accepted from Abramoff, though he returned it. They also have a mutual friend, Edward B. Miller.

WASHINGTON -- Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff still has connections in the capital - more than 250 of them to be precise - including prominent lawyers, religious leaders and a member of Congress. In letters to U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck, they are urging leniency when Abramoff is sentenced tomorrow in a Miami fraud case, saying that the picture of Abramoff that has emerged through the news media is a gross distortion and that he deserves a break. Far from his depiction as a greedy lobbyist who stole from Indian tribes, defrauded the Internal Revenue Service and tried to bribe public officials, they say, Abramoff is a man of charity and good works.