Comments (11)

MB Williams wrote on June 6, 2007 11:10 PM:

I've written extensively on Federici at Wampum over the past two years, and am thrilled that she's finally going down. However, even better would be to take down one of the Abramoff-tainted tribal leaders, Chad Smith, PC of the Cherokee Nation, who has been able to mostly hide his buying of influence through Abramoff, and I would bet, Federici.

I'm currently working my ass off to take down this guy - what I would give if others would take up the cause (as I'm working 24/7 on the June 23rd Cherokee election.) Call Dorgan, call Waxman. Ask them to release the Abramoff emails related to Chad Smith and the Cherokee, and any payments from the CNE to CREA.

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on June 6, 2007 11:51 PM:

MB Williams, Nice to hear from you. When Kyle Sampson was in the news a lot, someone here linked to your post about Sampson and Steve Griles firing someone who wouldn't play ball with them on an Indian issue. Would you mind re-posting that link? I've lost it. Thanks.

I'm sure it is a coincidence but it seemed to me that the DOJ didn't get moving on the Federici tax evasion charge until I posted a lengthy analysis of CREA's 990s in the TPM Cafe at the end of February (link below).

The 990s are a disgrace. CREA didn't report paying payroll taxes on salary expense of $179k and $144k in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Health insurance expense for two employees was only $3k and $500 in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

The 2003 CREA 990 was amended and I wonder if it was amended to make it appear that all of CREA's income came from Jack Abramoff's Indian tribes.

Somone besides Abramoff was funding CREA. I'm sure Federici and her partner in crime, CREA VP Jared Carpenter, had health insurance and that health insurance cost a lot more than the amount CREA reported.

Not only that, CREA reported that Federici and Carpenter took pay cuts in 2004 and 2005. The two of them were wired into the DOI and they made less money each year, not more. Yeah, right.

Gale Norton met officially with Federici at least twice in person and once on the phone, according to Norton's calendar posted on the CREW website.

Federici and Norton go back more than ten years when Federici worked on Norton's aborted senate campaign in Colorado. Federici even attended the same school for Republicans that Norton did.

Federici ran two nonprofits sponsored by Norton, CREA and Republican Patrons of the Arts. When Norton moved to DC in 1998, she brought Federici with her. It would be preposterous to suggest that Norton didn't know about the Griles-Federici affair.

I hope TPM MR posts the Federici charging documents.

JNagarya wrote on June 6, 2007 11:54 PM:

MB Williams --

I haven't the means, but I want the smarmy hypocrite and criminal Ralph Reed's ass in prison -- not jail, prison.

That racist thug needs to be off the street, away from decent human society.

TheOtherWA wrote on June 7, 2007 12:16 AM:

From the AP
" WASHINGTON — The head of a Republican environmental advocacy group is set to plead guilty in the Jack Abramoff scandal and is cooperating with an FBI investigation into corruption involving Congress and the Bush administration, two people close to the case said Wednesday.

Italia Federici served as a go-between for Abramoff, the once-powerful lobbyist, and J. Steven Griles, the deputy interior secretary during President Bush's first term, prosecutors said Wednesday in documents charging her with tax evasion and obstructing a Senate inquiry into the Abramoff scandal.

Under a deal with the Justice Department, she must cooperate with authorities and is identifying other criminal targets, one of the people said.

Authorities believe Federici may be able to provide information about former Interior Secretary Gale Norton, other Bush administration officials and the contacts that she, Abramoff and Griles cultivated in Congress, the second individual said."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4868262.html

This is gonna get soooo much better. I knew when Norton stepped down "to spend more time with her family" there was more to it.

C 92 wrote on June 7, 2007 12:28 AM:

Mrs. P:

Knew you'd be all over the Italia Federici story. Federici lived in Grover Norquist's house for a time and was filing her 990's from that address. Maybe the two were a couple. Maybe they threw in Griles for spice?

I've got to wonder if Norquist's various "nonprofits" have some as of yet undisclosed tax evasion too?

So many questions.

MB Williams wrote on June 7, 2007 1:12 AM:

Mrs. P., your work has been great on this subject. I have two posts on the Slonaker firing, one from 2006, one since the USA scandal broke. The fact that Slonaker was replaced by former Cherokee PC Swimmer in early 2003, and Smith hired Abramoff a few weeks later, shouldn't suprise anyone.

The reason I'm harping on the Abramoff-Smith link in the middle of the Federici plea is that Abramoff demanded that all of his tribal clients pay into CREA - and so far, we only have evidence that five out of the six tribes did so. Are we to believe that Jack didn't demand the same blood money from the CNO?

One of the primary reasons I came to work on the CNO elections (w/o pay, 24/7) was Smith's connection to Abramoff. The tribes which paid 40 million to essentially buy influence in the US government gave all the rest of us Indians a bad name. Chad Smith's control over Griles (via Abramoff) allowed him to disenfranchise, actually, terminate, the status of the 1000+ Cherokee freedman. This wasn't just only about money, like so many Abramoff deals - it was about racism, pure and simple.

I wish I had all my time to work on this, but I'm working my ass off to get Chad Smith replaced by a decent, ethical chief (in this case, the former Cherokee Supreme Court Justice who wrote the decision asserting Freedmen were members of the tribe.) So please forgive me if I only show up sporatically in the next few days. But give em hell, Mrs. P.

Shawn Fassett wrote on June 7, 2007 2:52 AM:

How has Gale Norton's name remained out of the Abramoff mess for so long? We are to believe that the Interior Dept. was a mess under her and she had no clue...?

TheOtherWA wrote on June 7, 2007 2:56 AM:

"She also failed to file personal income taxes from 2001 to 2003"
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/norton-aide-cops-a-plea-2007-06-07.html

Hmmm. Why would she decide to stop filing her tax returns then? Could she have been so arrogant she thought the IRS wouldn't notice? That because "their kind of people" were in office the rules didn't apply anymore?

Funny, Abramoff's downfall started because he and Kidan screwed with money people too, forging a wire transfer. Greed and arrogance sure makes people stupid. Makes 'em easier to catch too.

Mrs P wrote on June 9, 2007 10:49 AM:

Julie Finley, a GOP donor and national committeewoman and CREA co-chairwoman - I bet she's sweating now.

Wayne Smyer wrote on June 17, 2007 9:23 AM:

What was the connection with the murder of Konstantino "Gus" Boulis and Jack Abramoff? Adam Kidan? Itilia Federici? Gale Norton? Bob Ney? Please check it out? Lwayno

Wayne Smyer wrote on June 17, 2007 9:23 AM:

What was the connection with the murder of Konstantino "Gus" Boulis and Jack Abramoff? Adam Kidan? Itilia Federici? Gale Norton? Bob Ney? Please check it out? Lwayno