Shawn Vasell, a former associate of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, was charged in Montana for illegal poaching.

Vasell is a former aide to Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana). He left the Senate to work with Abramoff at the Greenberg Traurig firm to represent tribes.

The charges in Montana don't have anything do with the lobbying scandal. Instead, they stem from Vasell's alleged illegal killing of a mule deer buck without a proper license.

The incident came to light after news sources pointed out that a web page describing the hunt and Vasell's participation was posted on the Internet. [The D.C. Lobbyist and the Thanksgiving Deer]

Vasell appeared at a June 22, 2005, Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on the scandal but refused to testify. He no longer works for Greenberg Traurig.

Get the Story:
Former Burns aide charged with poaching (The Helena Independent Record 8/19)