Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates performed good work for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts, Chairman Glenn Marshall says.
Marshall says he approached Abramoff because he was frustrated with the lack of action on the tribe's federal recognition petition. He says Abramoff and Kevin Ring at the Greenberg Traurig firm worked for free for most of 2003.
That year, the tribe was mentioned in Interior's appropriations bill. A provision urged the Bureau of Indian Affairs to move on the tribe's petition but didn't require any action.
Marshall says Abramoff and Ring had a good relationship with the tribe even though both are implicated in a lobbying and kickback scheme. The tribe has rehired Ring, pictured at right, who works for the Barnes & Thornburg firm [Senate Records].
Get the Story:Tribal lobbyist probed in kickback scheme (The Cape Cod Times 11/22) Relevant Documents:
Summary of Acknowledgment Cases | R. Lee Fleming Declaration Only on Indianz.Com:
Federal Recognition Database V2.0 (May 2005) Relevant Links:
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe - http://mashpeewampanoagtribe.com Related Stories:
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