Interesting… Abramoff Probe Staffer Attacked
Someone is getting desperate.
From The Hill , via Talking Points Memo:
FBI called in on Hill
By Bob Cusack and Jackie Kucinich
The FBI and Capitol Police are investigating the vicious attack of a top Senate staffer at her home last week amid concerns that the assault might be related to her work on the Finance Committee.
Emilia DiSanto, chief investigator for committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), arrived at her suburban Virginia home after work Wednesday about 6:30 p.m. As she was unloading belongings from her car, a 6-foot-1-inch white man dressed in black struck her repeatedly with an unidentified object believed to be a baseball bat.
After she screamed to her family inside the house, the assailant fled. DiSanto was transported to Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, where she was treated for significant upper-body injuries. Nine staples were needed to close her head wound.
[…]
Grassley is known for his aggressive oversight of the public and private sector. Over the past year, he has scrutinized healthcare fraud, organ-donation procedures used by hospitals, drug-safety matters and the use of nonprofit groups related to former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Who’s Jack Abramoff, you ask? Wikipedia’s entry:
Abramoff is a central figure in a series of high-profile political scandals linked to the Republican Party. He is currently under investigation by grand juries in Washington, D.C., for his involvement in the Abramoff-Reed Indian Gambling Scandal, and by a grand jury in Guam over a separate matter. He was indicted on August 11, 2005, by a third grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for bank fraud arising out of an unrelated business deal.
The investigations and indictments of Abramoff have taken on significant national importance because of the lobbyist’ close political connections with leading national Republicans, including President of the United States George W. Bush, Congressional Republicans and various influential conservatives.
Congressman Tom DeLay, former Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, has called Abramoff one of his ?closest and dearest friends.?
Ah, but there’s more…
In September 2005 murder charges were brought against three men for the murder of Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis, the seller of the Sun Cruz Casino. Anthony Moscatiello, a former bookkeeper for the Gambino crime family and Anthony Ferrari were charged with murder, conspiracy and solicitation to commit murder. James Fiorillo, was charged with murder and conspiracy. Moscatiello had previously received $145,000 from Kidan through SunCruz for services that were allegedly never rendered. Ferrari had received $95,000 as payment for security services and further sums in casino chips.
Boulis had made his first fortune out of the ‘Miami Subs’ chain of sandwich shops. He then launched the SunCruz business which offered ‘cruises to nowhere’, taking passengers into international waters out of reach of the Florida state gambling laws. Florida state made several attempts to shut the business down, finally succeeding in 1999 when federal prosecutors charged Boulis with violating shipping laws over the ship’s registration. Boulis agreed to pay a $1 million fine and sell the business.
Boulis alleged that the $23 million payment was never made. Boulis also alleged that Kidan had links to organized crime. [6] Kidan had hired Anthony Moscatiello as a business advisor despite a previous indictment as an associate of the Gambino crime family led by Mafia crime boss John Gotti. In February 2001, Boulis was shot to death five months later in what police called “a gang style hit”. A suit brought by Boulis’ estate alleges that Adam Kidan made three payments of $10,000 to Moscatiello immediately prior to the murder.[7]
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Political connections
The casinos were subsequently auctioned off to new management in a bankruptcy action brought by Foothill Capital. Foothill settled with Abramoff for an undisclosed sum and continue litigation against Kidan.
Press accounts have suggested that Abramoff used his political connections to gain support for the deal in Washington [8].
Tom DeLay, then House minority whip gave Boulis a flag that had flown over the capitol building. Abramoff brought his lead financier in the deal to a fund raiser for DeLay in Abramoff’s box at FedEx Field.
Ohio Republican Representative Bob Ney promoted the Kidan/Abramoff in the House on several occasions. In March 2000, before the deal was closed, Ney accused the SunCruz management of cheating passengers. On October 26 2000, praised the change of ownership:
“While Mr. Kidan certainly has his hands full in his efforts to clean up SunCruz’s reputation, his track record as a businessman and as a citizen lead me to believe that he will easily transform SunCruz from a questionable enterprise to an upstanding establishment that the gaming community can be proud of.”
Ney has since accused Abramoff of duping him
Fraud, murder, corruption…. and all this slimetrail leading directly to the doors of Congress and the White House. I would love to know what exactly senior investigator DiSanto was working on.
