"A glimpse of the plump and sordid underbelly of Washington, D.C., was afforded last month when Michael Scanlon, a lobbyist and former congressional aide, rolled over for federal prosecutors and admitted conspiring to bribe a member of Congress and other public officials.

As part of a bargain with the Justice Department, Mr. Scanlon pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in New York to one count of conspiracy to violate a string of criminal laws, including bribery. Mr. Scanlon faces up to five years in prison and has agreed to repay his former clients, four Indian tribes, $19.6 million.

Shortly after entering his plea, Mr. Scanlon, 35, emerged from the courthouse and stood with his lawyers beneath a cluster of umbrellas for a press conference. Tanned and smiling, he appeared undaunted by the prospect of returning $19.6 million in fees to his former Indian clients.

It was a brazen display. There can be no doubt that, in Mr. Scanlon, federal lawyers have found an unsavory partner to assist in their investigation. But if the result is a clear and convincing case against officials who have abused the public trust, that alliance will have at least been useful."

Get the Story:
The Seamy And Unseemly ... (The Hartford Courant 12/1)
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