MIAMI — A 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 Huck guarantees that Abramoff, 49, will serve no more than an additional four years in prison — the sentence imposed by a Washington, D.C., judge last week in the separate corruption case.
Abramoff’s attorneys had sought to have the Florida sentence reduced from nearly six years to about two. Huck called that request “greedy” and said it would not reflect the gravity of the fraud involved in the 2000 purchase of SunCruz Casinos by Abramoff and a partner.
Ultimately, Huck’s reduction gives the judge in the Washington corruption case room to reduce his separate 48-month prison term as a reward for Abramoff’s anticipated continued cooperation in the Washington corruption case.
With Abramoff’s help, the Justice Department has indicted a dozen people on corruption and influence-peddling charges, including former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles and several Capitol Hill aides.
