Lobbyist with ties to DeLay indicted for fraud News
Lobbyist with ties to DeLay indicted for fraud

[JURIST] Lobbyist Jack Abramoff [Wikipedia profile], once a close friend of US House Majority Leader Tom DeLay [official website], was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on bank fraud charges. The charges are related to a 2000 purchase by Abramoff and his partners of SunCruz Casinos [corporate website] and an alleged phony wire transfer that defrauded two lenders financing the acquisition of $60 million. Read the US DOJ press release on the indictment. DeLay, who was not mentioned in any lawsuits involving the SunCruz deal, has asked the House Ethics Committee [official website] to examine separate allegations that Abramoff or his associates covered the costs of DeLay's foreign trips, contrary to House rules. DeLay has denied knowing that the expenses were paid by Abramoff. The Republican congressman from Texas also made headlines Thursday when a Federal Election Commission audit of a fundraising committee he founded [PDF] showed that the committee failed to report more than $300,000 in debts [AP report] and improperly financed its activities with funds from another group tied to Delay. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.