ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH

Disgraced Ex-Jack Abramoff Associate Inches Back Into National Politics

Adam Kidan served 31 months in jail for a partnership with Abramoff that he said he regrets. Now, he’s donating to congressional candidates again

A former business partner of infamous lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who previously pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy, has quietly re-emerged on the national political scene.

Adam Kidan, who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of Chartwell Staffing Solutions according to his website, donated $30,800, according to FEC records, to seven Republican House candidates in 2017 including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY).

Prior to these contributions, the last federal contributions Kidan made were in the 2001-2002 cycle. The gap in giving can be explained, in part, by the fact that Kidan went to jail.

In 2005, Kidan pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and conspiracy, stemming from a 2000 incident in which he and Abramoff allegedly devised a fake wire transfer to purchase gambling boats (a different scandal from another Abramoff-related one, in which he defrauded Native American tribes). A year later, Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, who owned the SunCruz casino boat company, was killed in Fort Lauderdale. Three men were charged with killing him, two of which were reportedly hired as consultants by Kidan.

Attorneys for Abramoff and Kidan said that they had no knowledge about the people who killed Boulis. At the time, Abramoff was a powerful Washington lobbyist who was leveraging relationships with people in the offices of Reps. Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Robert Ney (R-OH) to facilitate the deal for SunCruz, The Washington Post reported in 2005. Kidan was his business associate.

Abramoff was sentenced to six years in prison and went on to serve 43 months. Kidan served 31 months in prison and was later apologetic for the role he had played. "I wish I had never met Jack," he said of Abramoff, who had been his college friend.”I played with the big boys and this is the result.”

Kidan did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast via his website.  

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Gideon ResnickPolitical Reporter

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