Abscam
Not to be confused with Adscam.
Abscam (sometimes written ABSCAM) was an FBI sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress, among others. The two-year investigation initially targeted trafficking in stolen property and corruption of prominent businessmen, but later evolved into a public corruption investigation. The FBI was aided by the Justice Department and a convicted con-man in videotaping politicians accepting bribes from a fictitious Arabian company in return for various political favors.
More than 30 political figures were investigated, and six members of the House of Representatives and one senator were convicted. One member of the New Jersey Stat… Continue Reading (15 minute read)
We should probably try this again pretty soon
The practice has been eliminated due to testing indicating that it would incriminate over 50 percent.
Check out the movie American Hustle, which is a loose retelling of the story.
These days it’s called lobbying and somehow it’s apparently not so bad.
I guess members of Congress were more ethical back then.
>The FBI employed Melvin Weinberg an American con artist, charlatan and federal government informant
>His story was portrayed in the 2013 film American Hustle, with Christian Bale playing Irving Rosenfeld, a character based on Weinberg
The plot of American Hustle is loosely based on this
Can we do this all the time, seems like a good use of tax dollars.
This needs to be done again.
Citizens United made bribery legal.
Disappointed to learn the fake company was called Abdul Enterprises, and not Flowers By Irene.