Abramoff May Reach Deal This Weekend

The Ely Times reports that Jack Abramoff is very near a deal with federal prosecutors.

Federal prosecutors and lawyers for Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff consulted briefly Friday with a federal judge in Miami as they put the finishing touches on a plea deal that could be announced as early as Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

Abramoff and a former partner were indicted in Miami in August on charges of conspiracy and fraud for allegedly lying about their assets to help secure financing to purchase a fleet of gambling boats.

Abramoff‘s cooperation would be a boon to an ongoing Justice Department investigation of congressional corruption, possibly helping prosecutors build criminal cases against up to 20 lawmakers and their staff members.

The deal could be completed before then, the sources said. Abramoff could sign the plea agreement and exchange it with prosecutors via fax over the weekend, they said.

Half the GOP House Caucus must be pondering precisely the same question.  Exactly what does Abramoff have to offer federal prosecutors to entice them to give him a reduced sentence? 

It looks like we will soon be finding out.

Update on December 30, 2005 at 8:55 p.m.:

The above story is a partial version of the AP story.  Here's the full AP story via the ABC News website.

More details on the discussions with Judge Huck:

Requesting anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the talks, people said the lawyers spoke by phone with U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck, giving him an update on the plea negotiations. Huck scheduled another status conference for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The deal could be completed before then, the people said. Abramoff could sign the plea agreement and exchange it with prosecutors via fax over the weekend, they said.

See related developments on Rep. Tom DeLay, Rep. Roy Blunt and the U.S. Family Network, here.