The Jack Abramoff story has all of the trappings of a Hollywood mob flick - right down to his past dabbling as a Hollywood producer, his apparent ties to the mob, and the corrupt ring of Congressmen he orchestrated. Jack Abramoff, as many of you know, is the former lobbyist responsible for making off with tens of millions of dollars from the tribes he represented in Washington, D.C., including the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe.
In one particular, and disgusting, instance, Abramoff was paid by the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana to buy off Republican officials in Texas, including the Dubya gubernatorial administration, to close the Speaking Rock Casino operated by the tiny Tigua tribe near El Paso. Thanks to Abramoff, Texas Senator John Cornyn, and Dubya, the State of Texas closed the Tigua's casino and sent the tiny tribe right back into poverty.
Then, in an amazing display of arrogance, Abramoff and his slimy associates approached the Tiguas and told them that they would lobby to get their casino reopened! He later bragged to his associates in a series of emails about how they managed to rip off the tribe's few remaining resources.
For the past year, Abramoff has been at the center of a federal investigation into Congressional bribes, in which he convinced some of his tribal clients to pay for elaborate overseas trips by congressmen, such as Republican Leader Tom Delay. At the same time, he was also being investigated in Florida for defrauding a lender out of $60 million to purchase an offshore casino ship. After he and his business associates closed the deal, their company went bankrupt and its previous owner was found murdered in Miami after a mob-style hit.
Abramoff funneled tribal money - money that was supposed to benefit tribal citizens - all over the world. Tribal gaming revenues went to Jewish paramilitary organizations in Israel, to Ralph Reed, the righteous former leader of the Christian Coalition, to dozens of (mostly Republican) members of Congress, and George Dubya Bush.
This month, Abramoff's largess caught up with him, as he agreed to plead guilty to fraud charges in Washington, D.C. and Miami. He stands to spend up to 10 years in prison - far less than what he should have received - in exchange for testifying against the Congressmen he bribed.
The saddest part of the whole situation is that most of the citizens of the tribes represented by Abramoff had no idea who he was, how much he was paid, or what he was doing.
Certainly, Jack Abramoff is an extraordinary example of tribal lobbyists. There are many lobbyists that represent tribes who play by the rules and do their jobs effectively.
But the fact of the matter is that tribal citizens are usually left in the dark about their tribe's relationship with its lawyers and lobbyists
In 2005, Bay Mills paid at least $80,000 for lobbying in Washington, D.C. To see for yourself, and to look at other tribes, go to http://sopr.senate.gov.
Now that the Abramoff has hit the fan, hopefully the impetus has been provided for tribal governments to make needed reforms.
I certainly hope that our new council resolves to make information surrounding our tribe's contracts with lobbyists and lawyers available to tribal citizens, as well as other important information surrounding tribal finances. Tribal citizens should be able to check out these unfiltered facts for themselves. This would lead to a better tribal government and help curb the constant distrust of the tribal government that stems from a lack of information.
Finally, this type of transparency would help prevent future slimy "monkeys," like Jack Abramoff, from dragging our money and our name through the mud.
Bryan Newland is a Bay Mills Indian Community Member and a student at Michigan State University College of Law in East Lansing. He is the oldest son of Gordon and Vickie Newland of Bay Mills. He has written columns and letters that have appeared in local, regional, and national publications. You can respond to his column at 517-420-0808 or tikro6@yahoo.com.
