FTP Discussion Thread (Everything but big new news goes here. Cliffs in OP)
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Quote:
Darkelf is not aware of the Jack Abramoff - Native American Casino debacle. Jeff Ifrah actually worked for the same firm that Abramoff worked for at the time of the scandal. Jeff still has financial interest in that law firm. The firm is Greenberg Traurig http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffifrah.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenberg_Traurig
In January 2001, lobbyist Jack Abramoff left Preston Gates & Ellis to join Greenberg Traurig. Abramoff brought a book of business then worth more than $6 million annually to Greenberg Traurig, according to his own estimates. At the firm he assembled "Team Abramoff," a lobbying team that was involved in the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal and the monetary influence of Jack Abramoff. A Greenberg spokesman said that its federal lobbying revenue in 2005 was 1 percent of its total revenues of $860 million.
In 2000, before Abramoff joined the firm, Greenberg had $3.3 million in lobbying fees. After he joined in 2001, the firm took in $16.2 million in fees. By 2002, that number jumped to $17.7 million, and $25.5 million by 2003.[13] The firm became one of the top 10 of Washington lobbying firms, moving from 16th place to fourth, according to the National Journal.[14]
In early 2004 Greenberg Traurig fired Abramoff and subsequently received praise from federal investigators and members of Congress for its cooperation in the Abramoff investigation, according to the ABA Journal.[15]
On July 12, 2006, the Alabama-Coushatta tribe filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against now-convicted Abramoff and his cohorts. Greenberg Traurig was not a named defendant. Its lawsuit states that "There was a nexus between Greenberg, the enterprise and the pattern of racketeering." According to the suit, internal Greenberg e-mails showed that Abramoff associate Michael Scanlon, although not a member of the firm, "billed hours to tribal clients through Greenberg and that members of the law firm, including attorneys Kevin Ring, Shawn Vasell, Stephanie Leger, Todd Boulanger and others, fabricated hours and time entries for Scanlon." The suit also says the firm allowed checks sent by the tribe to a bogus Abramoff-linked think tank to be funneled and cashed through Greenberg Traurig.[13]
Here is how the Lobbyist under Abramoff worked:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ab...bbying_scandal
Allegation of double dealing
On June 22, 2000, Susan Ralston e-mailed Abramoff, "I have 3 checks from elot: (1) 2 checks for $80K payable to ATR and (2) 1 check to TVC for $25K," [...] "Let me know exactly what to do next. Send to Grover? Send to Rev. Lou?"[19]
Thus eLottery money went through Norquist's foundation, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), the Faith and Family Alliance, and Reed's company, Century Strategies, while the last check was sent to Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition (TVC).
In 2000, Abramoff forced the Choctaws to give the Alabama Christian Coalition of America $1.15 million in installments. Norquist agreed to pass the money on to the Coalition and another Alabama antigambling group, both of which Reed was mobilizing for the fight against a proposed Alabama state lottery.
In 2002, after Abramoff worked with Reed to close the casino of the Tigua tribe, he persuaded the tribe to hire him to lobby Congress to reopen the casino.
Of the $7.7 million Abramoff and Scanlon charged the Choctaw for projects in 2001, they spent $1.2 million on their behalf and split the rest in a scheme they called "gimme five."
So basically, Jack Abramoff would use organizations like Focus on Family to put pressure on government officials and bodies to shut down Indian Casinos.
The government would shut them down, then Abramoff would contact them and say he could get them re-opened again for the right amount of money. The Indian casinos would then pay him a retainer and make donations to certain organization and PACs his friends had. The money would be distributed through the PACs to many influential politicians and the Casinos would be reopened.
So it is certainly plausible the Caesars / Wynn / NFL (Rooneys) are using these same tactics to shut down Full Tilt Poker and buy them on the cheap. They don't want the players money to go to the DOJ but rather to stay in the accounts when they own it.
The NFL used lobbyist law firm Covington and Burling to deal with Focus on Family themselves. They basically have used a poetic license on Jack Abramoff's "gimme five" scheme:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/b9cbd...#axzz1aOxWZQjs
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In a July 31 e-mail obtained by the Financial Times, Bill Wichterman – a Washington lobbyist for the NFL who served as a top adviser to former Republican majority leader Bill Frist – encouraged conservative groups to co-sign a letter to Congress that ostensibly was written by Focus on the Family. “The threat posed by the Frank legislation is very real, and we must actively work against it,” Mr Wichterman wrote.
The letter was co-signed by the Christian Coalition and American Values, among others. It urged members of Congress to protect the integrity of the 2006 Act, and cautioned that lawmakers should be wary of “misinformation campaigns” by “foreign gambling interests”.
The NFL said the sports league did not author the Focus on the Family letter and there was nothing unusual about its alliance with the Christian groups given their mutual opposition to gambling. Focus on the Family declined to comment.
Now keep in mind that Eric Holder represented the NFL as a lawyer when he WAS AT COVINGTON and BURLING. This is a major conflict of interest. He failed to mention this in the Senate DOJ over site committee.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenberg_Traurig
In January 2001, lobbyist Jack Abramoff left Preston Gates & Ellis to join Greenberg Traurig. Abramoff brought a book of business then worth more than $6 million annually to Greenberg Traurig, according to his own estimates. At the firm he assembled "Team Abramoff," a lobbying team that was involved in the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal and the monetary influence of Jack Abramoff. A Greenberg spokesman said that its federal lobbying revenue in 2005 was 1 percent of its total revenues of $860 million.
In 2000, before Abramoff joined the firm, Greenberg had $3.3 million in lobbying fees. After he joined in 2001, the firm took in $16.2 million in fees. By 2002, that number jumped to $17.7 million, and $25.5 million by 2003.[13] The firm became one of the top 10 of Washington lobbying firms, moving from 16th place to fourth, according to the National Journal.[14]
In early 2004 Greenberg Traurig fired Abramoff and subsequently received praise from federal investigators and members of Congress for its cooperation in the Abramoff investigation, according to the ABA Journal.[15]
On July 12, 2006, the Alabama-Coushatta tribe filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against now-convicted Abramoff and his cohorts. Greenberg Traurig was not a named defendant. Its lawsuit states that "There was a nexus between Greenberg, the enterprise and the pattern of racketeering." According to the suit, internal Greenberg e-mails showed that Abramoff associate Michael Scanlon, although not a member of the firm, "billed hours to tribal clients through Greenberg and that members of the law firm, including attorneys Kevin Ring, Shawn Vasell, Stephanie Leger, Todd Boulanger and others, fabricated hours and time entries for Scanlon." The suit also says the firm allowed checks sent by the tribe to a bogus Abramoff-linked think tank to be funneled and cashed through Greenberg Traurig.[13]
Here is how the Lobbyist under Abramoff worked:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ab...bbying_scandal
Allegation of double dealing
On June 22, 2000, Susan Ralston e-mailed Abramoff, "I have 3 checks from elot: (1) 2 checks for $80K payable to ATR and (2) 1 check to TVC for $25K," [...] "Let me know exactly what to do next. Send to Grover? Send to Rev. Lou?"[19]
Thus eLottery money went through Norquist's foundation, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), the Faith and Family Alliance, and Reed's company, Century Strategies, while the last check was sent to Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition (TVC).
In 2000, Abramoff forced the Choctaws to give the Alabama Christian Coalition of America $1.15 million in installments. Norquist agreed to pass the money on to the Coalition and another Alabama antigambling group, both of which Reed was mobilizing for the fight against a proposed Alabama state lottery.
In 2002, after Abramoff worked with Reed to close the casino of the Tigua tribe, he persuaded the tribe to hire him to lobby Congress to reopen the casino.
Of the $7.7 million Abramoff and Scanlon charged the Choctaw for projects in 2001, they spent $1.2 million on their behalf and split the rest in a scheme they called "gimme five."
So basically, Jack Abramoff would use organizations like Focus on Family to put pressure on government officials and bodies to shut down Indian Casinos.
The government would shut them down, then Abramoff would contact them and say he could get them re-opened again for the right amount of money. The Indian casinos would then pay him a retainer and make donations to certain organization and PACs his friends had. The money would be distributed through the PACs to many influential politicians and the Casinos would be reopened.
So it is certainly plausible the Caesars / Wynn / NFL (Rooneys) are using these same tactics to shut down Full Tilt Poker and buy them on the cheap. They don't want the players money to go to the DOJ but rather to stay in the accounts when they own it.
The NFL used lobbyist law firm Covington and Burling to deal with Focus on Family themselves. They basically have used a poetic license on Jack Abramoff's "gimme five" scheme:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/b9cbd...#axzz1aOxWZQjs
High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b9cbdaae-4...#ixzz1aOyDxRLW
In a July 31 e-mail obtained by the Financial Times, Bill Wichterman – a Washington lobbyist for the NFL who served as a top adviser to former Republican majority leader Bill Frist – encouraged conservative groups to co-sign a letter to Congress that ostensibly was written by Focus on the Family. “The threat posed by the Frank legislation is very real, and we must actively work against it,” Mr Wichterman wrote.
The letter was co-signed by the Christian Coalition and American Values, among others. It urged members of Congress to protect the integrity of the 2006 Act, and cautioned that lawmakers should be wary of “misinformation campaigns” by “foreign gambling interests”.
The NFL said the sports league did not author the Focus on the Family letter and there was nothing unusual about its alliance with the Christian groups given their mutual opposition to gambling. Focus on the Family declined to comment.
Now keep in mind that Eric Holder represented the NFL as a lawyer when he WAS AT COVINGTON and BURLING. This is a major conflict of interest. He failed to mention this in the Senate DOJ over site committee.
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