Pablo E. Carrillo (born 1969) is a one-time admiralty lawyer from New Orleans, Louisiana, who was U.S. Senator John McCain's chief of staff. In that capacity, Carrillo led McCain's investigations of the Jack Abramoff tribal lobbying scandal and the KC-X Boeing tanker scandal, which McCain referred to extensively throughout his campaign. [1]
Carrillo served, as The Washington Monthly described in May 2006, as "McCain's wingman on Indian Affairs", as his Chief Investigative Counsel on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. There, Carrillo led a high-profile investigation into allegations that flamboyant GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon, a former aide of House Leader Tom Delay, bilked several Indian tribes out of tens of millions of dollars. Holding what Vanity Fair described as "five gory, highly publicized [hearings] in 2004 and 2005" [2] on that issue, Carrillo's investigation first exposed Abramoff and Scanlon's scheme to defraud these tribes and led to, according to The Washington Post, "one of the widest ranging federal corruption investigations in decades," which "may help McCain, a likely contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, reinforce his image as a Washington reformer and a proponent of campaign finance reform."
That investigation was also described by Roll Call as "set[ting] a standard for what Congressional oversight should be, but often isn't" and the New York Post as giving rise to possibly "the worst Washington corruption scandal since the Abscam sting nailed six congressmen and a senator 25 years ago." It helped expose wrongdoing that recently led to, among other things, guilty pleas from Abramoff, Michael Scanlon, a US congressman, and two senior congressional staffers on fraud and public corruption charges; a guilty plea from the head of a bogus non-profit organization for lying to Congress and tax fraud; the conviction of the Bush White House's chief of procurement policy and a former deputy Interior secretary for, among other things, lying to Congress; the development of lobbying reform legislative initiatives; and the publication of a major Senate report, called "'Gimme Five'—Investigation of Tribal Lobbying Matters". [3]
Carrillo led McCain's investigation of the Air Force's decision to replace its tanker fleet by leasing airplanes from Boeing. The investigation resulted in a major corruption scandal, which led to successful prosecutions of Boeing's CFO Michael M. Sears and senior Air Force official Darleen Druyun; and Boeing being forced to deduct about a half-billion dollars in payments required under a global settlement agreement with the Justice Department.
The investigation received widespread praise: The Seattle Times described that investigation as "hav[ing] outmaneuvered Air Force brass and Boeing's 35 person Washington lobbying operation in a classic Washington power play and a media blitz worthy of Madison Avenue"; a major watchdog group as "congressional oversight at its best, something we rarely see anymore"; and The New Yorker as "burnish[ing] [McCain's] reputation as a giant killer." Carrillo's role in that investigation was profiled by the National Journal'sCongressDaily and the investigation, in among others places, 60 Minutes Wednesday .
Carrillo is a graduate of Tulane University and Tulane Law School, where he served as Managing Editor for the Tulane Law Review.
Robert William Ney is an American politician from Ohio. In 2007, he was convicted on charges of corruption and sentenced to 30 months in jail. A Republican, Ney represented Ohio's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 until November 3, 2006, when he resigned. Ney's resignation took place after he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and making false statements in relation to the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal. Before he pleaded guilty, Ney was identified in the guilty pleas of Jack Abramoff, former Tom DeLay deputy chief of staff Tony Rudy, former DeLay press secretary Michael Scanlon and former Ney chief of staff Neil Volz for receiving lavish gifts in exchange for political favors.
Ralph Eugene Reed Jr. is an American political consultant and lobbyist, best known as the first executive director of the Christian Coalition during the early 1990s. He sought the Republican nomination for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Georgia but lost the primary election on July 18, 2006, to state Senator Casey Cagle. Reed started the Faith and Freedom Coalition in June 2009. Reed and his wife JoAnne Young were married in 1987 and have four children. He is a member of the Council for National Policy.
Jack Allan Abramoff is an American lobbyist, businessman, film producer, writer, and convicted felon. He was at the center of an extensive corruption investigation led by Earl Devaney that resulted in his conviction and 21 other people either pleading guilty or being found guilty, including White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine other lobbyists and congressional aides.
Michael Scanlon is a former communications director for Rep. Tom DeLay, lobbyist, and public relations executive who has pleaded guilty to corruption charges related to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. He is currently assisting in the investigation of his former partners Abramoff, Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed by separate state and federal grand jury investigations related to the defrauding of American Indian tribes and corruption of public officials.
The Jack Abramoff Native American lobbying scandal was a United States political scandal exposed in 2005; it related to fraud perpetrated by political lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed Jr., Grover Norquist and Michael Scanlon on Native American tribes who were seeking to develop casino gambling on their reservations. The lobbyists charged the tribes an estimated $85 million in fees. Abramoff and Scanlon grossly overbilled their clients, secretly splitting the multi-million dollar profits. In one case, they secretly orchestrated lobbying against their own clients in order to force them to pay for lobbying services.
David Hossein Safavian is an American former lawyer who worked as a congressional aide, lobbyist, and later as a political appointee in the George W. Bush administration. A Republican, he served as Chief of Staff of the United States General Services Administration (GSA). He is a figure in the Jack Abramoff lobbying and corruption scandal, having worked with the lobbyist on the Mississippi Band of Choctaw account. After serving with Abramoff as a lobbyist, in 1997 Safavian co-founded lobbying firm Janus-Merritt Strategies with Republican activist Grover Norquist.
The 2006 Republican party scandals resulted in four resignations and three election losses for Republican politicians during the first two years of George W. Bush's second term as President and leading up to the 2006 midterm elections.
The K Street Project is an effort by the Republican Party (GOP) to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire Republicans in top positions, and to reward loyal GOP lobbyists with access to influential officials, an arrangement known as crony capitalism. It was launched in 1995 by Republican strategist Grover Norquist and then-House majority whip Tom DeLay. It has been criticized as being part of a "coziness" between the GOP and large corporations which has allegedly allowed business to rewrite government regulations affecting their own industries in some cases, such as with Dick Cheney's energy task force.
The monetary influence of Jack Abramoff ran deep in Washington, as Jack Abramoff spent millions of dollars to influence and entertain both Republican and Democratic politicians. Abramoff had a reputation for largesse considered exceptional even by Washington standards. In addition to offering many Republican members of Congress expensive free meals at his restaurant, Signatures, Abramoff maintained four skyboxes at major sports arenas for political entertaining at a cost of over $1 million a year. Abramoff hosted many fundraisers at these skyboxes including events for Republican politicians publicly opposed to gambling, such as John Doolittle. Abramoff gave over $260,000 in personal contributions to Republican candidates, politicians, and organizations, and funded numerous trips for politicians and staffers and gave none to Democrats.
"Team Abramoff" is the team of lobbyists assembled by Jack Abramoff when he worked at Greenberg Traurig, primarily of former aides to prominent Congressional politicians. Their work is embroiled in the Jack Abramoff scandals.
Capitol Campaign Strategies was an American public relations firm run by Michael Scanlon, Tom DeLay's former press secretary, which Scanlon used in coordination with Jack Abramoff to redirect about $40 million in lobbying contributions from Indian tribes to Scanlon, Abramoff, and their associates, as well as funding bribes to Republican politicians such as Bob Ney. Scanlon and Abramoff have pleaded guilty for their activities. After Abramoff left Preston Gates and went to Greenberg Traurig in January 2001, Scanlon formed Capitol Campaign Strategies. Its official location was 611 Pennsylvania Avenue SE in Washington D.C., which is a maildrop. Scanlon also formed the dummy organizations American International Center and Atlantic Research Analysis aka Atlantic Research & Analysis, used to receive and distribute CCS money.
Kevin A. Ring is a former American attorney and congressional staffer; he served Republicans in both the House and the Senate, including U.S. Representative John T. Doolittle (R-CA). He also served as a counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee's Constitution, Federalism and Property Rights Subcommittee.
Kaygold LLC was Jack Abramoff's primary front organization for funneling tribal moneys in the Gimme Five scheme to his personal accounts. Its registered address was Abramoff's home address; on the National Center for Public Policy Research's 2003 Tax Form 990, Kaygold's address was listed as his work address at Greenberg Traurig.
James V. Grimaldi is an American journalist, investigative reporter, and Senior Writer with the Wall Street Journal. He has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize, twice, for investigative reporting in 1996, with the staff of the Orange County Register, and in 2006, for his work on the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal while working for The Washington Post.
The Jack Abramoff CNMI scandal involved the efforts of Jack Abramoff, other lobbyists, and government officials to change or prevent, or both, Congressional action regarding the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and businesses on Saipan, its capital, commercial center, and one of its three principal islands.
The federal investigations into Jack Abramoff and his political and business dealings are among the broadest and most extensive in American political history, involving well over a dozen offices of the FBI and over 100 FBI agents tasked exclusively to the investigation. Given the extent and complexity of the suspected corruption, an entire inter-governmental task force, involving many federal government departments and agencies, has been established to aid the federal investigation. The U.S. Justice Department has announced that it will not reveal the details of the investigation, or who specifically has been targeted for investigation until indictments are issued. Under his plea agreements, Abramoff is required to answer all questions by federal investigators and prosecutors.
Todd Boulanger is an American lobbyist. He was senior vice president of Cassidy & Associates and was a figure in the Jack Abramoff scandal.
James F. Hirni is a lobbyist who was convicted of bribing U.S. Senate staff aides in exchange for favorable amendments to legislation. A former aide to U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson (R-AR), he joined the lobbying firm Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, and then became a member of "Team Abramoff" at Greenberg Traurig. He went on to become a lobbyist for Wal-Mart from 2004–08, as its Executive Director of Republican outreach. He was fired when charges were filed concerning his activities with Abramoff.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)1 LinkedIn Professional Networking Website—Pablo E. Carrillo, available at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/8/262/1a2; Amy Svitak (November 17, 2003). "People—Oscar! Use a Coaster!", CongressDailyAM
2 Peter H. Stone (2006). "Heist—Superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, His Republican Allies, and the Buying of Washington"; Matthew Continetti (2005). "The K Street Gang—The Rise and Fall of the Republican Machine"; T.A. Frank and Zachary Roth (May 2006). "White Hats vs. Black Hats--Who's who in Washington's scandal investigations", Washington Monthly; Paul Kiel (July 24, 2006). "Gimme Five--Take Two?", TPM Muckraker, available at http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2006/07/gimme_five_take_two.php
3 Institute for U.S. Law (2003). "U.S. Legal Method—Introduction to U.S. Law: Faculty and Guest Lecturers", available at http://www.iuslaw.org/lecturers.php
4 T.A. Frank and Zachary Roth (May 2006). "White Hats vs. Black Hats--Who's who in Washington's scandal investigations", Washington Monthly; The Exchange—The Murphy Institute of Political Economy, Tulane University (Fall 2005). "Class of 1992", available at http://murphy.tulane.edu/pdfs/exchange-fall-2005.pdf
5 Paul Kiel (July 24, 2006). "Gimme Five--Take Two?", TPM Muckraker, available at http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2006/07/gimme_five_take_two.php
6 David Margolick (April 2006). "Corruption--Washington's Invisible Man", Vanity Fair, available at http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/04/abramoff200604?printable=true¤tPage=all
7 Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (June 2006). "'Gimme Five'—Investigation of Tribal Lobbying Matters," 109th Cong., SEN. REPT. NO. 109 325, available at https://web.archive.org/web/20081025073337/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/gimme5.html
8 House Committee on Government Reform (March 2002). "Justice Undone—Clemency Decisions in the Clinton White House,", 107th Cong., H.R. REPT. NO. 107 454 (contributor)
9 House Committee on Government Reform (October 2000). "Failure of White House to Produce Subpoenaed Email—Threats, Obstruction and Unanswered Questions,", 106th Cong., H.R. Rept. No. 106 1023 (contributor)
10 Pablo E. Carrillo (November 1996). "Manuel v. Louisiana Sheriff's Risk Management Fund: The Louisiana Supreme Court Clarifies the Non Retroactivity Principle in Third Party Bad Faith Actions," 71 TULANE LAW REVIEW 325
11 Pablo E. Carrillo (June 1998). "Beware of Scylla and Charybdis: Stock Purchases of Privately Held Companies and the Remedies Problem Under Rule 10b 5—What is the Buyer to Do?" 72 TULANE LAW REVIEW 2113
12 Pablo E. Carrillo (Spring 1997). "Selected Topics in Negotiated Acquisitions: Pre-Closing Knowledge of Material Misrepresentations and Rule 10b 5—A Response to the ABA Committee's Analysis of the 'Leading' Cases," Louisiana State Bar Association/Business & Corporate Law Section Newsletter