Senate panel probes claims pair bilked tribes of millions - ethnic slurs

[seemslikeadream]

thanks to MrBenchley in GD
Gannett News Service
September 30, 2004


WASHINGTON -- A Washington lobbyist and a close associate played a secret role in helping elect tribal council members of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, who later voted to pay them about $10 million for consulting work, the tribe’s chairman, Richard Milanovich, told a Senate hearing Wednesday.

..

The testimony was part of a Senate investigation into an alleged $66 million paid by newly rich gaming tribes to the two political operatives, who are said to have overbilled by 5,900 percent for voter lists and pressed tribes to pay for skyboxes at the Washington Redskins’ stadium.

Milanovich said he opposed hiring the pair because of their high price and only later learned that Scanlon and Abramoff had worked silently with other council members to manipulate the tribal election and gain control of the council in 2002. The new council then agreed to lucrative contracts with Abramoff and Scanlon and also contributed to candidates and charities as the pair instructed, Milanovich, leader of the tribe that owns two casinos in the Coachella Valley.

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Abramoff, a large donor to President Bush who is involved in several Republican groups, appeared before the committee but refused to answer any questions. He cited his Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions that would incriminate him. Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, was not present and U.S. Marshals were seeking to serve him a subpoena, said Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., the committee’s chairman.

...

At the behest of Abramoff and Scanlon, Milanovich said the tribe also contributed $300,000 for skyboxes in Washington sports stadiums, including FedExField where the Washington Redskins play. Native Americans have long protested the use of ethnic slurs for sports team names.

...

Milanovich and senators also were troubled by e-mail between Scanlon and Abramoff that described their Indian clients as "monkeys," "morons" and "troglodytes."

more
http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories2004/local/20040930004411.shtml