Abramoff lobbies judge for leniency in sentence

[seafan]

Abramoff lobbies judge for leniency in sentence

BY JAY WEAVER
March 28, 2006


snip

On Wednesday, Abramoff, 46, faces the stone-cold reality of being sentenced to up to seven years in prison in a Miami federal court for his part in the fraudulent purchase of SunCruz Casinos.

Abramoff and his top-notch lawyers have written a sympathetic biography that seeks to elicit leniency from the judge:

snip

On Wednesday, Abramoff and Kidan will face U.S. District Judge Paul Huck to be sentenced for their fraudulent purchase of SunCruz Casinos in 2000. Abramoff still faces sentencing on his corruption conviction in Washington.

snip

''We appreciate the opportunity to make such a submission in this case, in particular because media attention regarding Mr. Abramoff -- from newspaper editorials to late night comic monologues -- has made him into a caricature and has distorted a lifetime of accomplishments beyond recognition,'' lawyers Sonnett and Lowell wrote.

``This memorandum -- relying not on anonymous sources or leaked documents, but on over 260 letters -- provides first-hand experiences with Mr. Abramoff and reveals important information about Mr. Abramoff's character that we believe is relevant to the court's decision on (Wednesday.)

``As large a figure as he has been painted in the media, he is an even larger figure in matters of family, faith, generosity and remorse.''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14201364.htm

[DanCa]

1. Tsk squared - I thought that the gop was the law and order party.

Hmm Then again maybe that's why so many of them are up on charges.

[yellowcanine]

9. Not to mention the "party of personal responsibility."

[JDPriestly]

2. This could be interesting.

Think of the precedent it could set for other cases if the judge considers Abramoff's virtuous life unrelated to his crimes in determining the sentence. How about welfare moms who are wonderful mothers and active in their kids' school and at church but who keep getting food stamps after they started working? How about drunk drivers who are the pillars of their communities? Should their good deeds be balanced against their crimes at sentencing time? Wow! What a change in the justice system that could mean? What about the guy who sells dope but volunteers at the food bank 10 hours a week? Should the judge consider his volunteer work when deciding his sentence? That could get very interesting.

[seafan]

3. Here is some of Abramoff's *just- a- decent- guy bio*:

• He grew up in Atlantic City, the son of Jewish parents who endured the Great Depression, wrote his lawyers, Neal Sonnett and Abbe Lowell.

• In the late 1960s, Abramoff moved with his family to Beverly Hills, where his family was ''among the non-upper class in a land of spoiled kids,'' according to a friend's letter filed with the court. He went on to set records as a weight lifter and was named an All-City and All-Conference football player in high school.

• For Abramoff, ''the biggest life-changing event'' was his conversion from a secular Jewish life to Orthodox Judaism. Abramoff bought a book on the Jewish holidays, but misunderstood a rule that he thought prevented Orthodox Jews from wearing leather or driving on major days of fasting.

''Mr. Abramoff laughs at himself when he remembers how he would walk to synagogue wearing only his socks, wondering what was wrong with all of those people from his synagogue who would stop to ask him if he wanted a ride home,'' the memo said.

• During high school, Abramoff did charity work for the Sugar Ray Robinson Youth Foundation to benefit inner-city children. The legendary boxer returned the favor when Sugar Ray asked him what he planned to do with his life.

''Mr. Abramoff told him that he wanted to go to Brandeis University, but probably could not get in because his 3.4 G.P.A. was not high enough,'' the memo said. ``Sugar Ray Robinson -- who was never known to back down from a challenge -- personally called Brandeis University and sang young Jack's praises.''

Perhaps thanks to Robinson, Abramoff was accepted at Brandeis and later graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, where he became a Young Republican.

(And the rest, is history...)


snip

Aside from Abramoff's dark digression about Kidan, most of his 61-page sentencing memo is upbeat -- an attempt to portray Abramoff as a decent man to the judge who will put him in prison.

[EST]

5. I'd laugh if I saw him walking to synagogue, wearing

nothing but his socks, too! (right before I'd call the cops)

[Ian David]

13. Only 16% of Jews are Republicans. Abramoff and his ilk are scum. n/t

[0007]

4. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson will stand up and swear that

Jack Abramoff is a God fearing man and that honesty has been his trade mark during his entire life. And people that say differently are anti-Semitic

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. Awwww... Pity Party Time

NOT!

You put yourself out there, Abramoff, with your greed and hubris.

"We appreciate the opportunity to make such a submission in this case, in particular because media attention regarding Mr. Abramoff -- from newspaper editorials to late night comic monologues -- has made him into a caricature and has distorted a lifetime of accomplishments beyond recognition," lawyers Sonnett and Lowell wrote.

:nopity:

[BR_Parkway]

7. Does he have a non profit willing to donate to the Judges reelection

campaign? Isn't that his typical MO for lobbying?

One of the cabal in Orange, how many more....?

[gratuitous]

8. Of course the guy's a saint; so say his lawyers

And for $500 an hour, I'd say nice things about Mr. Abramoff, too. But as far as character references, why don't we ask some of the clients he called "monkeys" in to testify about the Jack Abramoff they knew? We could also ask some of the folks who come out on the short end of the stick from Mr. Abramoff's wheelings and dealings what they think of the man who made their lives so much harder.

I'm confident Jack Abramoff wasn't a relentless, 24-7, asshole. It's a tough job, and very few can be that kind of a jerk all the time. The ones who can be that way usually get reactionary talk shows or blogs in the Washington Post online edition. But regardless of all of Mr. Abramoff's redeeming qualities, that's not why he's standing in the dock. Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everlasting stream. That's from the Hebrew Testament, Mr. Abramoff; perhaps you could venture an explanation of what it might mean to you personally.

[Solly Mack]

10. Yeah well, I'm positive, absolutely positive, that prison is full of

people who have "a sympathetic biography" that should have served to "elicit leniency from the judge" or jury

But guess what? They weren't rich, white or connected to the President.

- the idea that there should be a different kind of justice for the manufactured class of criminals known as "white collar" than there is for everyone else is pure elitist bullshit.

Abramoff is nothing more than a common thieve, liar and fraud.

[sasquatch]

11. Abramhoff should just lobby the Prison Authorities

So they don't put KY Jelly on the contraband list.
:D

[Demeter]

12. Seven Years Per Conviction Could Add Up to Serious Time!

Keep those indictments rolling, guys!

[TexasLawyer]

14. Yeah, real nice guy!!!

The judge should talk to some of the Native Americans from whom Abramoff bilked millions of dollars. He's a major scammer and double-dealer.

AND on top of screwing these people over, he's an ugly racist too.

From SourceWatch:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Abramoff-Reed_Indian_Gambling_Scandal

In emails now made public by the FBI, which is investigating him, Abramoff repeatedly refers to Native Americans as "monkeys", "troglodytes" and "idiots."

Abramoff via email once asked his conspirator Michael Scanlon to meet a client. The reason Mr. Abramoff couldn't do it was because, as he put it, "I have to meet with the monkeys from the Choctaw tribal council. You need to close the deal... with the client..."

About one tribal client (date unknown) Abramoff wrote to Scanlon, "These mofos are the stupidest idiots in the land for sure." In another e-mail message he wrote, "we need to get some money from those monkeys!!"

[eppur_se_muova]

15. Want leniency? Name some more names, Jack. nt