| Congressional Corruption Investigation
Timeline |
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| July - Lobbyist Jack Abramoff forms Capital Athletic Foundation, a
nonprofit organization the Justice Department later says is a cover for
income tax evasion. |
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| February - Abramoff and associate Adam Kidan begin negotiations with
SunCruz Casinos owner Konstantinos Boulis to buy Boulis' fleet of casino
boats. May - Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and former DeLay staffer Tony
Rudy join Abramoff and a group of associates on a 10-day trip to England
and Scotland. The trip includes golfing at the world-renowned St.
Andrews course.
June - Rudy again joins Abramoff and Kidan on a SunCruz sponsored
trip to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in California.
September - Abramoff and Kidan finalize the SunCruz Casino deal,
agreeing to pay $147.5 million. A 2005 Miami indictment would later find
the two faked a $23 million wire transfer to secure financing from two
lenders in the deal.
October - Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, later identified as a close associate
of Abramoff, hails Kidan in the Congressional Record, saying "he will
easily transform SunCruz from a questionable enterprise to an upstanding
establishment." |
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| January - Abramoff, working as a lobbyist for four Indian tribes
with gambling operations in several states, recommends Capital Campaign
Strategies, a company formed by his friend and former aide to DeLay
Michael Scanlon, to provide public relations services for the tribes.
The government later contends Scanlon and Abramoff had a deal to defraud
the tribes and split the more than $80 million in profits received
between 2001 and 2003.
Abramoff leases a jet to fly a group of congressional staffers,
including former aides to DeLay and Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mt., to the
Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla.
February - Former SunCruz Casinos owner Boulis is shot and killed in
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Three men, including two associates of Kidan, are
later indicted on murder and conspiracy charges in relation to his
death.
March - Abramoff, Kidan and other SunCruz executives each contribute
$1,000 to a Ney fund-raiser in Washington, D.C. |
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| August - Using money paid to his nonprofit foundation Capital
Athletic Foundation, Abramoff flies a group, including Ney and former
Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, to Scotland for a second golf
trip at St. Andrews.
November - A U.S. attorney in Florida opens a criminal inquiry into
Abramoff and Kidan's SunCruz purchase. |
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| Abramoff raises more than $100,000 in contributions for the
Bush-Cheney '04 election campaign. |
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| February - Following reports that Abramoff and Scanlon made millions
of dollars off of various tribes in lobbying and legal fees, Sen. John
McCain, R-Ariz., begins an investigation into Abramoff's activities.
September - A seven-month investigation by the Senate Indian Affairs
Committee finds that Abramoff and Scanlon made an estimated $66 million
in lobbying fees and may have fixed two tribal elections in order to
secure contracts. Appearing before the committee, Abramoff refuses to
answer questions about his activities. |
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| August - A Miami federal grand jury indicts Abramoff and Kidan on
fraud charges in connection with the SunCruz deal. Abramoff pleads
innocent. Kidan later reaches a plea bargain. September - DeLay is
forced to step down as House majority leader following an indictment on
charges he violated Texas fundraising laws and mounting questions from
Democrats about his relationship with Abramoff.
October - Scanlon pleads guilty to charges he conspired to bribe
public officials.
December - In an effort to distance themselves from Abramoff, six
members of Congress announce they will donate or return contributions
made by the lobbyist and his associates. |
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| January - Abramoff pleads guilty to federal conspiracy, tax evasion
and fraud charges and agrees to turn witness for a widening Justice
Department investigation into the corruption of public officials
including members of Congress. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Alice
Fisher holds a press conference announcing Abramoff's plea deal and
promises to investigate and prosecute any wrongdoing by public officials
associated with Abramoff.
After media reports identify him as Representative No. 1 in the
Abramoff plea deal, Ney quits as chairman of the House Administration
Committee.
The White House announces that President Bush will give away $6,000
in campaign contributions that came directly from Abramoff. |
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Sources: Associated Press, Washington Post, CNN
From www.pbs.org
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