Former Aide to GOP Rep To Plead Guilty

[TacticalPeek]

Source: TPMuckraker.com

Former Aide to GOP Rep To Plead Guilty
By Paul Kiel - April 23, 2007, 4:09 PM

Yet another shoe drops in the Jack Abramoff investigation. A former aide to Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Mark Zachares, looks set to plead guilty to corruption charges.

The Justice Department filed a criminal information today on Zachares, laying out the facts to which he'll be pleading guilty. You can read it here. A plea hearing has been scheduled for tomorrow.

According to the document, Zachares and Abramoff had what they called their "two year plan": Zacheres would work for Abramoff on the inside, taking advantage of his congressional position to throw business Abramoff's way, and eventually, when Zachares left Congress, Abramoff would reward him. As the information reads: Abramoff "would 'credit' Zachares with the 'business' Zachares... referred or developed for Abramoff's firm, and would ultimately employ Zachares as a lobbyist credited 'with business,' warranting a high annual salary."

In addition to the usual stream of junkets, meals, and sports tickets, Abramoff also funneled $10,000 to Zachares through one of his phony charities. In return, Zachares referred clients and provided a number of favors for Abramoff's various clients.

Read more: http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003083.php

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Where have all the lawyers gone?

[TacticalPeek]

1. The document filed today:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/zachares/?resultpage=1&

:evilgrin:

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2007_04_22_archive.html#6121402319040285021

[Tarheel_Dem]

2. And the hits just keep on coming......

If we're lucky, Jack Abramhoff will touch 90% of the g.o.p. congress, and we'll be rid of them for decades to come. <fingers crossed>

[SalmonChantedEvening]

3. Gee, I hope Chuck Colson has enough room for them all.

:evilgrin:

[LeftishBrit]

4. Here's the Republican National Anthem...

http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/i/inthejailhousenow.shtml

[SalmonChantedEvening]

16. Loved it!

Oh, for the sound of celldoors closing.

Thankee LeftishBrit

:hi: :pals:

[Heidi]

5. Kick.

:kick:

[Hissyspit]

6. Former Hill Staffer To Plead Guilty In Abramoff Probe

Source: Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042301743.html?hpid=sec-politics

Former Hill Staffer to Plead Guilty in Abramoff Probe

By Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, April 24, 2007; Page A04

A former senior staffer on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the public by steering potential clients and inside government information to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff in return for cash, gifts and the promise of a high-paying job on K Street.

Mark Dennis Zachares admitted to prosecutors that he accepted more than $30,000 in tickets to 40 sporting events, a luxury golf trip to Scotland and $10,000 in cash from Abramoff and his lobbying team. He acknowledged providing them with information about the reorganization of the Homeland Security Department, federal disaster and highway aid, and maritime issues.

Abramoff, the once-powerful lobbyist at the center of a wide-ranging public corruption investigation, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison on March 29, after pleading guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials in a deal that required him to provide evidence about members of Congress.

- snip -

Zachares is the 11th person to plead guilty in the Abramoff investigation. Earlier this month, the FBI searched the home office of Julie Doolittle, wife of Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.), another politician whose actions have drawn scrutiny from a task force of 40 federal prosecutors and investigators.

MORE

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042301743.html?hpid=sec-politics

[maddezmom]

7. K&R....anyone have anything current on Tom Delay?

[MADem]

8. Heh, heh.. Big R! NT

[Hestia]

9. Big k&r here too - hope the list gets longer and longer n/t

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

10. 11th one to bite the dust...

... Viva Freddy Mercury!

[Judi Lynn]

11. Tremendous article! Hope this is only the beginning. Sure sounds like a lot of people got paid!

It says that Zachares went to work for Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the man with the beard:



Zahares was made immortal in Abaramoff's soon-to-be famous e-mail:

In March 2003, when Zachares was staff director for the Coast Guard and maritime transportation subcommittee, Abramoff e-mailed a lobbying colleague about an upcoming meeting between Zachares and two other lobbyists at their firm, Greenberg Traurig. "We can get a ton of new clients together, and they can do the work, with Zack pulling our load inside," Abramoff wrote.
(snip)

How about the way Zahares met Abramoff? So sweet!

Abramoff and Zachares met in the 1990s, when Zachares was working for the attorney general of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth that paid Abramoff $7 million to fight off attempts in Congress to impose minimum-wage laws there.
(snip)

Here's his boss, Republican Rep. Don Young, of Alaska, master orator, or not, captured on YouTube:

Republican Congressman Uses Fabricated Lincoln Quote
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIog-PW2WbY

[bobthedrummer]

17. This is linked to the Frederick Black DoJ machinations in Guam

as well as money laundering the black budget networks.

[Vinca]

12. Abramoff must be spilling his guts to get out of jail. nt

[salin]

13. and there is an inquiry going on around Rep Feeney

After all the Govt money Abramoff got - he is now the "gift" that keeps on giving (per exposing graft and corruption of the crony republicans.)

[formercia]

14. Feeney is one of the key players

He and Ney were two peas in a pod. One by one, the little fish bite the dust until the big fish have no where to hide.

Drain the swamp.

[gratuitous]

15. Deuced bad luck, that

All these indicted folks just happen to be Republicans. I wonder why Abramoff wasn't working both sides of the aisle? Wasn't Katie Couric going to get back to us on all the Democrats Abramoff corrupted? Still waiting, Couric. Real glad I didn't hold my breath.

[bobthedrummer]

18. kick