In his new book, convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff says the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians paid him $20 million to protect its gaming market.
Abramoff said the tribe was threatened by gaming in neighboring Alabama. That included the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, a tribe that isn't even allowed to engage in Class III gaming.
"Over the course of almost five years of waging this battle, we saved Choctaw's gaming market -- which provided them with over $400 million a year in revenue," Abramoff wrote in Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth about Washington Corruption from America's Most Notorious Lobbyist, according The Birmingham News. "It cost the tribe approximately $20 million to wage these battles, but the returns were worth it to them, Chief Martin called us the 'best slot machine' they had, and he was not exaggerating."
The late Chief Phillip Martin hired Abramoff and his lobbying firm. The tribe was Abramoff's biggest client.
Get the Story:Convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff talks about his work in Alabama in a new book (The Birmingham News 11/8)