Scanlon Charged With Conspiracy to Defraud
By PETE YOST
The Associated Press
Friday, November 18, 2005; 4:05 PM
WASHINGTON -- In a widening scandal on Capitol Hill, the government charged a partner of lobbyist Jack Abramoff on Friday with defrauding Indian tribes of millions of dollars in a scheme that lavished golf trips, meals and campaign donations on a member of Congress.
Michael Scanlon, an ex-aide to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, is headed for federal court Monday on a conspiracy count contained in a criminal information, which typically is a prelude to a guilty plea and full cooperation with government investigators.
The eight-page information says Scanlon and a person identified only as "Lobbyist A" provided "a stream of things of value" to a member of Congress, identified only as "Representative No. 1," to aid their effort to pass legislation.
It has been a matter of public record for more than a year that Scanlon and Abramoff had a fee-splitting arrangement and represented several Indian tribes.
Among the people subpoenaed in the Scanlon and Abramoff investigation was Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, whose name surfaced almost a year ago in a Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation as having extensive dealings with the two lobbyists and their tribal clients... http://tinyurl.com/7ecrt
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