Italia Federici

Italia Federici (born August 12, 1969), the former president of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA). Federici was also a political aide to Secretary of the Interior and CREA co-founder Gale Norton. [cite news |url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/11/18/federici/index_np.html
title=The greening of Italia Federici
author=Michael Scherer
publisher=Salon
date=November 18, 2005] She pleaded guilty in June 2007 to tax evasion and obstructing the United States Senate investigation into the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal and was sentenced to four years probation. [cite news
url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/06/national/w145234D83.DTL
title=New Charges Filed in Abramoff Probe
author=Matt Apuzzo
publisher=Associated Press
date=June 6, 2007] cite news
url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-06-08-1376100897_x.htm
title=GOP fundraiser pleads guilty in probe
author=Mark Heilprin
publisher=Associated Press
date=June 8, 2007] cite news
url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/14/AR2007121402008_pf.html
title=Republican With Links to Abramoff Is Sentenced
author=Susan Schmidt
publisher=Washington Post
date=December 15, 2007]

Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy

Federici founded CREA with Norton and Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist, a college friend of Abramoff, in 1997 with money Federici inherited; cite news
url=http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/norton-aide-cops-a-plea-2007-06-07.html
title=Norton aide cops a plea
author=Mike Soraghan
publisher=The Hill
date=June 7, 2007] The organization was also funded by, and supported the goals of, mining and other industries.

Abramoff involvement

Federici introduced Jack Abramoff to Deputy Secretary of the Interior J. Steven Griles in March 2001, just before Griles started at the Department of the Interior. Abramoff donated more than $400,000 to CREA, after which time she allegedly began using her connections with Griles to influence him to make decisions beneficial to Abramoff's tribal benefactors. [cite news
url=http://indian.senate.gov/2005hrgs/111705hrg/hrg111705.ram
title=Senate Indian Affairs Hearings, testimony by Italia Federici (video)
publisher=Senate Indian Affairs Committee
date=November 17, 2005]

In emails, Abramoff claimed that "she is critical" [cite news | title=Abramoff Witness Frustrates Panel: E-Mails Suggest She Was Lobbyist's Connection to Interior Official | author=Susan Schmidt | publisher=Washington Post | date=November 18, 2005 | page=A08 | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111701682.html] to his work with the Department of Interior, especially with regards to preventing the Jena Band of Choctaws Indian Tribe from creating a casino, that would take money away from one of Abramoff's "core tribes". A February 18, 2003 email from Abramoff to Federici said "...This will be a PR disaster as you can imagine, especially if for some reason Interior agrees to approve this deal. McCrery and Vitter (the other R's in the delegation) are furious beyond belief. This is going to get really ugly. Please let Steve know about this. Thanks so much Italia!" [cite news
url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A30274-2005Mar12?language=printer
title=Casino Bid Prompted High-Stakes Lobbying
author=Susan Schmidt
publisher=Washington Post
date=March 13, 2005] . The email referred to Griles, who is reported to have been romantically connected to Federici. [cite news
url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/washington/23cnd-giles.html?ex=1332302400&en=8110ca03cc771e77&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
publisher=New York Times
title=Ex-Deputy of Interior Dept. Pleads Guilty
author=Edmund L. Andrews
date=March 23, 2007]

Federici also pleaded guilty to failure to file tax returns from 2001 - 2003; Furthermore, she did not pay income tax from 2001 through 2003. Federici was not the bookkeeper, treasurer or accountant of CREA.

In December 2007, Federici was sentenced to four years probation, and $77,243 in restitution of back taxes. U.S. District Court Judge Ellen S. Huvelle rejected the prosecution recommendation of a longer sentence of house arrest. She sentenced Federici colleague Jared Carpenter, CREA's bookkeeper/accountant to 45 days in a halfway house and four years probation.

External links

* [http://www.crea-online.org/ Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy]
* [http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/guest/2004/if_1020p.shtml Six Lies and Videotape] , "GOPUSA" - Article by Federici, herself, written to announce CREA's latest anti-environmentalist video
* [http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0112/p01s02-uspo.html An e-mail trail of money and influence] , "The Christian Science Monitor", January 12, 2006
* [http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/newsrelease.php?view=90 CREW DEMANDS FEDERICI BE REFERRED TO DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FOR PERJURY INVESTIGATION] - Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
* [http://indian.senate.gov/2005hrgs/111705hrg/111705exhibits.pdf Email records between Italia Federici and Jack Abramoff from the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs]
* [http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/11/18/federici/index_np.html The greening of Italia Federici] , "salon.com", November 18, 2005
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111701682.html Abramoff Witness Frustrates Panel] , "washingtonpost.com", November 18, 2005
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A30274-2005Mar12?language=printer Casino Bid Prompted High-Stakes Lobbying] , "washingtonpost.com", March 13, 2005

References