DOJ Abramoff probe may implicate more government officials News
DOJ Abramoff probe may implicate more government officials

[JURIST] The scope of the US Department of Justice [official website] probe into the dealings of former high-powered Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff [Wikipedia profile; JURIST news archive] may implicate more public officials than previously anticipated, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Prosecutors indicted Abramoff in August [JURIST report] on charges of bank fraud, and he remains the center of an investigation into bribes given to members of Congress in conjunction with lobbying efforts on behalf of Indian casinos. The DOJ is reportedly examining Abramoff's dealings with former house majority leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) [official website; JURIST news archive], Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) [official website], Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) [official website], Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) [official website], 17 current and former congressional aides, and two former Bush administration officials in the Interior Department and government procurement office. On Monday, Abramoff's former lobbying partner Michael Scanlon pleaded guilty [JURIST report] to one count of bribery after federal prosecutors accused him of defrauding Indian clients and "providing things of value" to Rep. Ney. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.