Jack Abramoff and Todd Boulanger (right)
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Nedra Pickler of the Associated Press reports what we all expected:
A former deputy to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty Friday to lavishing congressional staffers with gifts including an all-expense paid trip to the World Series, box seats at concerts and fancy restaurant tabs.
Todd Boulanger admitted to U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts that he provided tens of thousands of dollars worth of entertainment to Capitol Hill aides who could help him get legislation favorable to his clients. Sometimes, he said, he concealed their identities in expense reports to try to keep them from being exposed for violating gift bans.
Boulanger, 37, could have faced up to 5 years in prison, but under terms of his plea deal prosecutors recommended that he get 18-24 months with reduced time if he continues to cooperate in the investigation. A sentencing date has not been set and he was released without bail.
Prison. Good. I was prepared for Mr. Boulanger to get probation since he only pleaded guilty to one charge.
Even though there don't seem to be any documents from today's hearing out on PACER, Ms. Pickler tells us more ...
During the plea hearing, the prosecutor read e-mails between Boulanger, his colleagues and congressional aides, who were not shy in their demands. Boulanger, who told the judge all the accusations against him were true, made it clear in his correspondence that he expected the staffers would return his favors.
The prosecutors said one legislative director in the Senate, identified only as "Staffer F," tried to help insert spending measures and add other amendments to legislation for Boulanger's clients. Later, the staffer asked Boulanger if he could "score some hockey tickets," and Boulanger got him front-row seats.
"This is without a doubt the most in demand game of the season," Boulanger wrote. "You, my friend, are in debt to me for a while!"
Boulanger later got the staffer box tickets to see the Baltimore Orioles, but the staffer wanted more. "Could you make sure there's beer this time," he wrote. I "mean, the red sox, crab cakes, and fillet mignon's were nice but haha."
Later, Boulanger expressed confidence that the senator whom the staffer worked for would give them a favor. "Easy money," Boulanger wrote to Abramoff. The staffer "practically lives in our various suites. We are shady."
'Staffer E' is identified by the AP as Ann Copland, a former staffer for Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.)
'Staffer F' remains unidentified to the best of my knowledge. The ACR blog is on the case, though.
[The only other unidentified staffer is 'Staffer D'. Frasier Verrusio, a former staffer for Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) shares some characteristics with 'Staffer D']
6 comments:
I am generally against the death penalty, but I understand the great state of Texas is not. I have resided in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Marianas Islands for a long time and I still can't believe the Jack Abramoff affair is moving so slow. This is a major event in US history and this Congress must resolve it. For those who don't know the story from Saipan, I will give a one paragraph reminder from Chamberonomics 25:
"The Saipan garment owners lured indigent third world workers to Saipan with promises of opportunity and a better life in America. They targeted non English speakers that had never been afforded an education so their future workers would have no ability to communicate the dire situation or represent themselves against ghastly abuse, branding them the unheard. Colluding with a few crooked NMI lawmakers, the garment gangsters monopolized the tiny islands infrastructure and created labor and immigration laws that denied workers their most important freedom, the ability to quit and/or change employers. Workers were financially controlled with textbook factory town strategy. Behind spiraling wealth, the garment industry here turned full blown organized crime whose power and influence even name controlled voting in the United States Congress and so arrogant that they openly bragged of their above the law status as absolutely untouchable. Financially handcuffed, workers lived in fear, afraid to speak, afraid to quit, and afraid to stand."
The wokers in Saipan are being deported daily in absence of the garment factories, which closed after the 2005 Free Trade agreement (the last of 65 closed 1-15-09)and still do not have working status in America.
Here is an interesting thing about the Boulanger guilty plea.
According to the DOJ press release:
In addition, Boulanger admitted that he provided more than $10,000 worth of tickets, meals and drinks to the legislative director for a U.S. Senator. Boulanger admitted he met the legislative director on July 16, 2002, and provided the things of value for 20 months following their first meeting.
Not so surprisingly, the date--July 16, 2002--is mentioned in the Kevin Ring Indictment:
149. On or about July 15, 2002, defendant RING received a second email from the congressional staffer in which the staffer stated that the commission proposed by the amendment would kill Indian gaming, because the commission "would be stacked with anti-Indian gaming members" and attached a draft letter that opposed the amendment as a violation of a House rule, which defendant RING then forwarded to Heaton, stating in the body of the email that he (defendant RING) "was asked to share this with you. Thanks for your help."
150. On or about July 15, 2002, defendant RING thanked Heaton for an email in which Heaton informed him that Ney had agreed to sign the letter opposing the commission and "[w]anted to know if anything stronger would be coming out later and he is glad to help."
151. On or about July 16, 2002, Volz expensed about $2200 worth of food and drinks at Signatures for Ney, his staff, and others during a birthday party for Heaton.
It looks like the circles are closing around Mr. Ring. Volz, Heaton, Boulanger and others (like Staffers D, E and F) are being gathered to put pressure on him.
There is a document in the files released by the Waxman Committee that lists 11 Legislative Directors for Senators that Team Abramoff contacted for the Saginaw Chippewa. This might be a good list to review for the search.
Cheers
Thanks dengre!
You have provided clues that I have overlooked.
Check in again later today (Super Bowl Sunday). Chances are I'll have a new piece out on this matter. But first, I must verify that the evidence you've brought to my attention doesn't conflict with anything.
Cheers!
Greg
I've heard some Congressional staffers are still being contacted by Boulanger (supposedly via their government/Congressional email accounts in some cases) with him inquiring about pending issues/ legislation as if he was still lobbying.
Is there any language in Boulanger's plea deal that prevents him from ever lobbying again or having contact or interaction with Congressional staffers?
Anon (March 24):
There's nothing in the Boulanger Plea Agreement prohibiting him from contacting people on the Hill. I've reviewed Boulanger's conditions of release, and there's nothing prohibiting him from contacting people on the Hill there, either.
The only prohibition I have seen since I've been watching carefully (Blackann going forward) is found in Fraser Verrusio's conditions of release. He is prohibited from contacting three people he worked with on the House Transportation Committee. (We know this from the Roll Call article; the conditions of release available on PACER are whited out.)
So, in answer to your question: I can't find any language that prohibits Boulanger from talking to anyone. That said, why is Boulanger still acting like a lobbyist? Who does he represent? All the other players in this scandal have essentially lost their jobs immediately prior to pleading.
Chamberonomics 150…end of an era
Federalization began November 28, 2009 in the CNMI without trumpets or fanfare, and a generation of international shame for labor abuse and human exploitation is over. The foundations of a new commonwealth have been laid.
Reducing foreign labor while elevating the minimum wage will open opportunity in the private sector for local citizens over time, previously shut out of the work force by cheap labor. When shops and businesses here are owned and operated by local citizens, we will have made right, what was long wrong.
A bloated government bureaucracy, poor stewardship of our water, power, and natural resources will continue to stifle growth, while protectionism, corruption, an adversarial and costly court system, and nepotism will continue to frighten potential investors away.
The percentage of our population in non productive CNMI government jobs is alarming and can only be called social welfare, or welfare with a job title. The ridicules cost to fund our legislature is equally disturbing, perhaps even comical. Potential investors to the NMI realize that economics dictate that someone must pay these salaries, likely through tax revenue, and no company will ever volunteer to replace textile industry funding of so many salaries.
The question here has always been “do we want control or do we want prosperity”. Former investors here, like JAL, walked away from enormous investments in the NMI, tired of being gouged and cheated, leaving us with a notorious reputation among international companies, sometimes referred to as “banana republic syndrome”.
I wish the incoming legislature and Governor all the best, but I don’t expect much. Perhaps someday we can rival successful islands instead of being the welfare basket case of America. Hiring an experienced city manager to replace our legislature would eliminate nepotism, protectionism, corruption, and give us the advantage of flexibility to exploit our strengths and react quickly to changes in a rapidly changing world. This is not likely to happen with self serving politicians enriching themselves at the expense of the less fortunate. I didn’t vote for the Governor, but he is the master politician here.
This series of letters to the editor unfolded to oppose the Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s claim of “unanimous opposition to federalization” that they lobbied and testified to before the US Congress and to generally support reform in the CNMI. Our new nameless holiday renders Chamberonomics moot, like the case against America to block federalization.
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