Delay Sought in Abramoff's Fla. Sentencing

Fri Feb 17, 9:36 PM ET

MIAMI - The Justice Department and defense lawyers asked a federal judge Friday to delay the March sentencing of lobbyist Jack Abramoff in a Florida fraud case to allow him more time to cooperate in a broader government corruption investigation.

Abbe Lowell, Abramoff's lawyer in Washington, D.C., said in a telephone conference with U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck that if sentencing went forward as scheduled on March 16 it would be "upsetting to what's happening behind the scenes.

"It's based solely on the sensitivities of cooperation," Lowell said of the request.

Abramoff pleaded guilty Jan. 4 to charges that he and a former partner, Adam Kidan, concocted a fake wire transfer to make it appear they were putting a sizable stake of their own money into the $147.5 million purchase in 2000 of the SunCruz Casinos gambling fleet. Kidan also pleaded guilty.

Abramoff also pleaded guilty last month to charges stemming from an investigation into the former lobbyists' ties to members of Congress and to the Bush administration.

Both guilty pleas require extensive cooperation from Abramoff in exchange for potential leniency at sentencing. The motion, signed by federal prosecutors and defense lawyers, seeks a delay of up to 90 days in the March sentencing date.

"Mr. Abramoff has been working very hard in terms of his cooperation," said Neal Sonnett, Abramoff's attorney in Miami.

Huck said he would consider the request, which also includes Kidan, now scheduled to be sentenced March 1.

The Senate Ethics Committee has announced it will postpone any investigation into influence peddling by Abramoff because of Justice Department concerns the probe could interfere with the criminal case.

The move follows normal practice when a criminal investigation overlaps with a probe by the Senate.

The decision was disclosed in a letter from committee leaders that was released Friday by Democracy 21, a group that tracks campaign finance issues and congressional ethics. The group had asked the committee last November to investigate lawmakers' ties to Abramoff.

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