Abscam
The FBI was aided by the United States Department of Justice and convict Mel Weinberg in videotaping politicians accepting bribes from a fictitious Arabian company in return for various political favors.
[5] In March 1978, John F. Good of the FBI's office in suburban Long Island created and oversaw a sting operation called "Abscam", which was initially intended to investigate theft, forgery, and stolen art.
[6][7][8][9] The FBI employed Melvin Weinberg, a convicted swindler, international con artist and informant, and his girlfriend, Evelyn Knight, to help plan and conduct the operation.
[8] Weinberg instructed the FBI to fund a $1 million account with the Chase Manhattan Bank in the name of Abdul Enterprises, giving the company the credibility it needed to further its operation.
[2] When a forger under investigation suggested to the sheikhs that they invest in casinos in New Jersey and that licensing could be obtained for a price, the Abscam operation was re-targeted toward political corruption.
Each member of Congress who was approached would be given a large sum of money in exchange for "private immigration bills" to allow foreigners associated with Abdul Enterprises into the country and for building permits and licenses for casinos in Atlantic City, among other investment arrangements.
Errichetti helped to recruit several government officials and United States members of Congress who were willing to grant political favors in exchange for monetary bribes (originally $100,000 but then reduced to $50,000).
[3] The FBI recorded each money exchange and, for the first time in American history, surreptitiously videotaped government officials accepting bribes.
[8] The meeting places included a house owned by Lee Lescaze[14] in the Foxhall neighborhood of Washington, D.C., a yacht in Florida, and hotel rooms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
He also introduced the "Arab businessmen" to Frank Thompson Jr. By the middle of 1979, Errichetti had arranged meetings with a list of state and federal politicians willing to go in on the operation.
[2] The FBI set up video cameras in a hotel suite near New York's John F. Kennedy Airport to record the transactions between the undercover agents and Errichetti.
Senator Harrison A. Williams (D-NJ) was indicted on October 30, 1980,[18] and convicted on May 1, 1981,[19] on nine counts of bribery and conspiracy to use his office to aid in business ventures.
[20] Williams repeatedly met with the FBI agents and had worked out a deal where he would become involved in a titanium mining operation by way of having 18% of the company's shares issued to his lawyer, Alexander Feinberg.
Other defenses attempting to have the charges dismissed included that he was a victim of selective prosecution by the Justice Department because he had supported the presidential bid of Ted Kennedy over Jimmy Carter in the Democratic primary.
'"[23] A prosecution memo at the time stated that there was no case against Williams but the judge, who in his ruling decried "the cynicism and hypocrisy of corrupt government officials", set it aside.
[24] Frank Thompson (D-NJ) was a member of the House from Trenton, New Jersey, who was indicted and convicted of accepting a bribe from an FBI agent posing as an Arab sheikh.
Full-length viewing of the tape shows Murtha citing prospective investment opportunities that could return "500 or 1,000" miners to work.
[32] Senator Larry Pressler (R-SD) refused to take the bribe, saying at the time, "Wait a minute, what you are suggesting may be illegal."
[35] In 1980, New Jersey State Senate member Joseph A. Maressa accepted $10,000 from a group of FBI agents who were part of the Abscam undercover operation.
Maressa justified accepting what he described as legal fees, saying, "I felt like it would be patriotic to take some of this OPEC oil money and get it back to the United States.
[37] When the investigation became public in the early 1980s, ethical controversy focused on using the "sting" technique and Weinberg's involvement in selecting targets.
The House Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights began hearings on FBI undercover operations in March 1980 and concluded with a report in April 1984.
Among the concerns expressed during the hearings were the undercover agents' involvement in illegal activity, the possibility of entrapping individuals, the prospect of damaging the reputations of innocent civilians, and the opportunity to undermine legitimate privacy rights.
In December 1982, the Committee issued its final report, which generally supported the undercover technique but observed that its use "creates serious risks to citizens' property, privacy, and civil liberties, and may compromise law enforcement itself".
[40] Congressional concern about sting operations persisted, creating numerous additional guidelines in the ensuing years: During Abscam, the FBI handed out more than $400,000 in "bribes" to Congressmen and middlemen.
It's quite understandable for those in Congress who love their institution, who are trying to rebuild its reputation and the confidence of the American people, to have an encounter and deal with a situation of this kind, and emotions run high.
