Abscam
Abscam (sometimes Abscam ) was an operation of the FBI in Hauppauge, Long Iceland. Originally the operation was directed against the trade in stolen goods, the FBI changed but soon into an investigation of public corruption.
The investigation led to the conviction of a U.S. Senator, five members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Mayor of Camden, New Jersey, members of the City Council of Philadelphia and an official of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Procedure
Abscam was the first major action of the FBI against corruption in Congress. Before 1980, only a total of ten deputies had been convicted of corruption in the 200th Congress history. The operational phase was largely directed by Melvin Weinberg, a convicted con artist, the FBI had hired for Abscam.
The FBI founded the company in 1978, FBI employees posing as businessmen from the Middle East, " Abdul Enterprises, Ltd.. " - In videotaped conversations they promised officials of money in return for political support in favor of an unnamed sheikh. The meetings were held in a house in Washington, DC, hotel rooms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well as on a yacht in Florida. The sheikh, who bore the code name Abdul, wanted:
- Buy asylum in the U.S.
- Bring the officials and legislators to invest in his business
- Smuggle help make money from his homeland
For a special attention in the public cared Congressman Richard Kelly, the $ 25,000 in cash stuffed in his pocket and the FBI agent asked " If you see it? "
On February 2, 1980 the first reports appeared in the media that the FBI would investigate Congressman. They called the operation " Abscam " to " down" dul - Scam ( Abdul- fraud).
Judgments
Of the 31 politicians who aim of the investigation were convicted different dishes Senator Harrison A. Williams 1981 (D -NJ ), the Members of the House of Representatives John Jenrette (D -SC ), Richard Kelly ( R -FL), Raymond F. Lederer ( D -PA ), Michael Myers ( D -PA) and Frank Thompson (D -NJ ) and the Mayor of Camden, Angelo Errichetti. While most politicians resigned voluntarily, the House of Representatives Myers had to exclude formally. Harrison resigned only after the exclusion motion against him was already on the agenda of the Senate.
Senator Larry Pressler Only the (R -SD) not only refused the bribe, but shortly thereafter reported the incident to the FBI. As a news anchor Walter Cronkite Pressler called a "hero", he countered claims to have only briefly: " In what kind of times we live in, when it is already a feat to reject bribe "
Follow
The operation was controversial because the FBI worked with a convicted con artist, and it paid him $ 150,000. Various Affected accused the FBI to have an Agent Provocateur used, which she had instigated over the right understanding of the state of the United States only to offenses.
Through the trial, however, through all the convictions were held, although some judges criticized the implementation of the operation and the inadequate surveillance by the FBI and Department of Justice.
Repetition, 2005: Operation Tennessee Waltz
Federal agencies including the FBI and law enforcement at the state level as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations continued with Operation Tennessee Waltz 2005 to a similar action. This led to the arrest of seven members of the Parliament of Tennessee and various officials.