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Newsweek: FBI Feared Abramoff Would Flee to Israel

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Sat Aug 13, 2005 at 11:35:41 PM EST
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One of the curious things about the Jack Abramoff arrest was the differing reports on Thursday: The Miami Herald reported the FBI was looking to arrest him in Baltimore; co-defendant Kidan was allowed to self-surrender; Abramoff was later arrested and jailed in Los Angeles.

Michael Isikoff at Newsweek has this report:

The justice department played hardball last week with former superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, in part because of concerns he might flee to Israel. Hours before Abramoff was indicted on fraud charges in Miami last Thursday, FBI agents tried to arrest him at his Maryland home. But he'd already left for Los Angeles. Agents tracked him down on his cell phone and ordered him to surrender to the local FBI office. When Abramoff did, later that day, he was handcuffed, thrown into jail, then released last Friday on a $2.2 million bond.

Abramoff's treatment contrasted with that given his co-defendant, Adam Kidan, who was allowed to show up in court on his own. A senior Justice official says one reason was that some of Abramoff's friends and former colleagues have moved to Israel. "There was concern he could relocate to another country," says the official, who asked not to be identified because the matter involves a pending case. Neal Sonnett, Abramoff's lawyer, called the Feds' tactics "mean-spirited," and says his client is fully ready to show up in court...

Then there's the pressure angle, which Isikoff reports is on two fronts: the Indian gambling casino probe and one we've heard less about: the Tyco probe.

A lawyer for another client, Tyco International, tells NEWSWEEK that it's turned over to Justice evidence alleging Abramoff defrauded it with a lobbying campaign against legislation to bar federal contracts to U.S. companies, like Tyco, headquartered in overseas tax havens. Tyco, based in Bermuda, paid $1.7 million to Abramoff's firm in 2003 and 2004—plus $1.5 million for a "grass roots" campaign to gin up opposition to the effort among Tyco's domestic suppliers.

The Tyco official who hired Abramoff is the firm's general counsel, Tim Flanigan, a former White House lawyer nominated by President Bush for deputy attorney general. Tyco lawyer George Terwilliger says the firm "was a victim of a rip-off." Abramoff, he says, recommended the $1.5 million be paid to Grassroots Interactive, a group that allegedly did little work and later diverted funds for other purposes. Grassroots is "controlled" by Abramoff, says Nathan Lewin, a lawyer for Tyco's registered agent. Abramoff's former law firm has agreed "in principle" to repay the $1.5 million, says a source close to Tyco who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Flanigan's confirmation has been stalled in the Senate.

Developing....

Update: Mark Klieman has more on Flanigan's troubled nomination in the context of Comey's designation of David Margolis to supervise Fitzterald in the Plame leaks probe.

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    Newsweek: FBI Feared Abramoff Would Flee to Israel | 5 comments (5 topical)
    Re: Newsweek: FBI Feared Abramoff Would Flee to Is (none / 0) (#1)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:19 PM EST
    Flanagin.."The Margolis appointment is significant since President Bush announced that Timothy E. Flanigan would replace .." Comey. It is hard to believe that The Chimp has been upstaged.

    Re: Newsweek: FBI Feared Abramoff Would Flee to Is (none / 0) (#2)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:19 PM EST
    Oh now I understand! he is from Israel and do you think bush wants him in prison for political reason and not for wrong doing? and maybe Abramoff will have a little heart attack in some prison cell soon? watch this one its going to be fun.

    Re: Newsweek: FBI Feared Abramoff Would Flee to Is (none / 0) (#3)
    by teacherken on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:19 PM EST
    how come the players are all so familiar we hae Flanigan having now a DOJ role, but previously having a role at Tyco, a role now held by George Terwilliger, who himself use to be a high ranking Republican DOJ official. And then to make things really interesting, Nate Lewin, the lawyer for Tyco's registered agent, is, like Abramoff, an Orthodox Jew - actually quite prominent in local DC Orthodox circles. And how come with all these Republican lawyers involved with Tyco, which was full of fraud, no one has nailed them with the onus of that?

    Re: Newsweek: FBI Feared Abramoff Would Flee to Is (none / 0) (#4)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:19 PM EST
    If you really want to know what is happening with bushonomics check out what Abramoff was buying, its call the long bond, which bush put up for sell some time ago, the fact is adramoff was making a killing in the market with the long bond and the guys in israel love that fact, the clinton and bush 1-2- regimes both made big points in the long bond market for a few high powerws people and didn't want adramoff in that market. the cheney business also has some money in the long bond and do any of you know who will pay in the end?..."You will" in fact do the research by putting in your search eng, "israel and the long bonds"..you will love what you come up with.

    Re: Newsweek: FBI Feared Abramoff Would Flee to Is (none / 0) (#5)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:22 PM EST
    Israel is becoming a popular refuge for our fugitives. Remember "Crazy" Eddie, the guy that used to own "The Wiz". He sold the company listing a bunch of fictitious inventory that didn't exist (aka stealing), he ran to Israel and they refused to extradite him. Some ally, eh?

    Newsweek: FBI Feared Abramoff Would Flee to Israel | 5 comments (5 topical)