Three SCANDALS have made the headlines and have all spawned wide ranging investigations, running from influence peddling in the Capitol, surveillance of movie stars and improperly profiting from one's power as a member of the press. As far as I understand them, please allow me to attempt to explain their backgrounds and significance.
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Jack Abramoff - this former power-lobbyist gave so many million$ to so many people throughout the D.C. establishment, it is unknown how far the unsavory allegations may spread. Abramoff recently pled guilty to fraud charges to an unrelated case in south Florida relating to the purchase of the SunCruz casino boat line, and faces sentencing for addiitonal fraud and tax evasion charges in D.C. His minimum sentence in the SunCruz case, of 5 years and 10 months, is the result of a reduction he received in exchange for singing about the D.C. political stuff.
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Anthony Pelicano - as far as California goes, this is huge. Pelicano is a private investigator who has been employed by a wide range of big Hollywood types, and current investigations involve phone tapping, surreptitious recordings and the less savory side of show business. Currently incarcerated for weapons charges, the ever-widening investigation into this case threatens to ensnare potentially anyone in Hollywood as the sordid details become known.
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Page Six - in a sense this is just about a gossip reporter who allegedly tried to shake down a rich guy in exchange for not writing negative stories about him; there is, apparently, video of meetings between the two. While this certainly does not have as wide-ranging implications as the 2 scandals above, as a gossip devotee it is must-read material. In particular, there have been (in publications other than NY Post) a few in-depth, behind-the-scenes articles as how the business works.
