by Smitty
From a 16Sep AP story, emphasis mine:
Paul Magliocchetti pleaded not guilty to an 11-count indictment felony indictment on Aug. 20. He is charged with paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal donations to scores of campaigns dating back to 2003 to enrich himself and increase his firm’s influence with public officials.
The former lobbyist was to have gone on trial Oct. 5.
A person outside the government who is familiar with the criminal investigation said that the once-prominent lobbyist will enter a plea on Sept. 24 in federal court in Alexandria, Va., where a new electronic entry on the courthouse docket specifies that Magliocchetti will have a “change of plea hearing” in his case on that date.
Later on, emphasis still mine:
Magliocchetti was a major player in Washington lobbying for nearly two decades.
Democrats on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, where Magliocchetti once worked as a staffer, became favored recipients of donations by lobbyists in Magliocchetti’s firm, PMA Group Inc.
One of his early successes was lobbying on behalf of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who received a $58 million bailout from Congress for his shipbuilding business
From 1989 to late 2008, Magliocchetti and his employees gave members of Congress $3.4 million in campaign donations, more than most of the larger lobbying firms in town.
If the allegations in the indictment are true, a sizable chunk of that money actually came from Magliocchetti personally or from the firm’s coffers
In 2007 and 2008 alone, three top Democrats on the House defense subcommittee directed $137 million to defense contractors who were paying Magliocchetti’s PMA Group to get them government business.
The three were subcommittee chairman John Murtha of Pennnsylvania, James Moran of Virginia and Visclosky.
Murtha, who died in Feburary, collected $2.37 million in campaign contributions from PMA’s lobbyists and the companies it has represented since 1989, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political money. Visclosky has collected $1.36 million; Moran, $997,348.
“Gentleman” Jim Moran made the 2009 most corrupt politicians list, courtesy of Judicial watch.
This blog thinks that Jim should just go hang out with his buddy Matthews on Hardball more or less indefinitely.
Let’s hope that the prosecutor does an effective job. Moran may be innocent. Also, Charlie Rangle has merely been a trifle careless with some paperwork.
