Some well-known cases based on a federal fraud law narrowed by the Supreme Court Thursday

more images

more images

Some famous honest services fraud cases

The Supreme Court on Thursday sharply narrowed the scope of a federal fraud law frequently used to prosecute corruption and white-collar crime. A look at some well-known cases in which politicians and businesspeople were charged with the crime of “honest services” fraud:

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty in January 2006 to charges of conspiracy, honest services fraud and tax evasion in the purchase of gambling cruise boats in a criminal case out of Florida.

—Abramoff associates James Hirni and Kevin Ring were also charged with defrauding taxpayers of the honest services of public officials. Hirni pleaded guilty to using wire communications to defraud taxpayers of congressional aides’ honest services. After a mistrial on charges of conspiracy, paying gratuities and scheming to defraud taxpayers of the honest services of public officials, Ring’s second trial was scheduled for after the Supreme Court’s decision.

— In pleading guilty to his role in the in the Abramoff influence-peddling scandal, former Ohio congressman Bob Ney agreed with a judge’s questions that he had conspired to deprive the government of his honest services.

— California Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham was sentenced to 8 years in prison in March 2006 after pleading guilty to honest services fraud and other charges for taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors in return for funneling contracts to certain companies.

— Related to the Cunningham case, Kyle “Dusty” Foggo, formerly the No. 3 official at the CIA, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for “depriving the United States and its citizens of their right to his honest services.”

Former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson, who famously hid $90,000 cash in his freezer, was sentenced in November 2009 to 13 years in prison for taking bribes and honest services fraud.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and ex-HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy also attempted to appeal their honest services fraud convictions to the Supreme Court. Scrushy was initially acquitted on multiple criminal charges in an accounting scheme in 2005, but he was later convicted with Siegelman in a bribery conspiracy.

Conrad Black and two other former executives were convicted of depriving the Hollinger International media empire — which once owned the Chicago Sun-Times, the Daily Telegraph of London, the Jerusalem Post and hundreds of community papers across the United States and Canada — of their honest services as corporate officers.

Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan went to prison for racketeering and honest services fraud.

The honest services law is the basis for about half of the charges against former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is currently on trial. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he schemed to get a large payoff in exchange for his power to appoint a replacement to President Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat. He has also pleaded not guilty to conspiring to launch a racketeering scheme using the power of the governor’s office.