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Abramoff Sentence Cut by Two Years
MIAMI -- A federal judge agreed Wednesday to shave two years from former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff's prison sentence for a fraudulent Florida casino boat deal because of his extensive cooperation in that case and a wide-ranging political corruption probe that upended Washington politics.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck to reduce Abramoff's 70-month prison term to 45 months guarantees that Abramoff, 49, will serve no more than an additional four years in prison -- the sentence imposed by a Washington judge last week in the separate corruption case.
And it gives the judge in that case room to reduce Abramoff's separate 48-month prison term as a reward for continuing cooperation with prosecutors.
With Abramoff's help, the Justice Department has indicted a dozen people on a variety of corruption and influence-peddling charges, including former House member Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), former deputy interior secretary J. Steven Griles and several Capitol Hill aides. More people are expected to be charged.
U.S. Files Charges Against Detainee
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The U.S. military filed war crimes charges against an Afghan detainee at the Guantanamo Bay naval base, accusing him of storing and concealing antitank mines in Afghanistan.
Obaidullah, who like many Afghans is known by one name, faces charges of conspiracy and supporting terrorism. He faces a maximum sentence of life if convicted.
The charges allege Obaidullah hid mines and other explosives in the Khost area of Afghanistan from October 2001 to July 2002 and carried a notebook describing "how to wire and detonate explosive devices in preparation for acts of terrorism."
The charges must be approved by Susan Crawford, the Pentagon appointee overseeing the war crimes trials at the U.S. base in Cuba, before the case can proceed.
-- From News Services
