Abramoff to begin 6-year prison stint¹ Wednesday

艾布拉姆周三开始其6年的刑期

　　Jack² Abramoff, the lobbyist known for lavishing³ politicians with football tickets or whisking them away on exotic golf junkets, will start life Wednesday with a new identity: federal inmate⁴ No. 27593-112.

　　杰克·艾布拉姆是因向官员赠送球票和经常邀请他们去国外的高尔夫胜地郊游而著称的说客。从周三开始，他将以新的身份开始新的生活：联邦服刑人员第27593-112号。

　　Abramoff is to report to federal prison to begin serving a nearly six-year prison sentence for a fraudulent deal to buy a fleet of casino ships in Florida. He also is awaiting sentencing for corrupting⁵ government officials and their staff members.

　　艾布拉姆将开始在联邦监狱里度过他六年的刑期，罪名是在弗罗里达购买一支赌博船队的交易中犯下了欺诈罪。同时，他还在等待在向政府官员和其他工作人员行贿案中的判决。

　　If it were up to the Justice Department, Abramoff wouldn't be heading to prison —— at least not yet. He could hold the key to a sweeping⁶ corruption⁷ case involving Congress, members of the Bush administration and their aides —— and prosecutors⁸ said putting their star witness behind bars would impede⁹ the investigation¹⁰.

　　如果根据司法部的决定，艾布拉姆至少不会在现在就被送进监狱，因为他是一起大宗腐败案的关键人物。该案件涉及到了国会、布什政府的官员及助手。检察官认为把他们的关键证人投进大牢将会阻碍调查的进行。

　　But a Miami federal judge refused to delay the sentence, meaning Abramoff's cooperation will have to continue from prison. Abramoff's lawyers had no comment.

　　但是迈阿密联邦法官拒绝延迟执行判决，这意味着艾布拉姆不得不在监狱里配合检察官的调查了。艾布拉姆的律师没有对此发表评论。

　　Abramoff was originally assigned to a federal prison in Pennsylvania about four hours away from Washington. Prosecutors wanted him assigned to a prison in Cumberland, Maryland, about two hours away.

　　阿布拉姆本来是被安置在离华盛顿约四小时路程的宾夕法尼亚洲的一家联邦监狱里。但是检察官希望他能被安排到距离华盛顿2小时距离的马里兰州坎伯兰的一家监狱。

　　The Justice Department said the issue has been resolved and, though the Bureau of Prisons will not comment on where Abramoff will report, prison officials began making preparations for a crush of reporters outside the Cumberland prison.

　　司法部表示问题已经得到了解决。尽管美国联邦监狱管理局并没有就艾布拉姆在何处服刑发表意见，但管理监狱的官员已经开始为应对大批记者涌入坎伯兰监狱提前做准备。

　　Abramoff enjoyed access and influence across Capitol Hill, from his close ties to congressmen, to his hundreds of contacts with White House officials. He kept his powerful friends flush with campaign cash, gifts and trips such as a $92,000 chartered jet to Scotland for a golf outing with Rep. Bob Ney, Bush administration official David Safavian and congressional aides.

　　艾布拉姆与国会议员建立的亲近关系，并与上百白宫官员有往来，这使让他能够在国会山来去自如，举足轻重。他给位高权重的朋友提供大量的竞选资金、赠送礼物、免费旅游等，包括为共和党议员博布·奈伊、布什政府官员大卫·沙法维恩以及国会助手们花92，000美元租赁一架飞机去苏格兰的高尔夫球场散步。

　　Ney, an Ohio Republican who recently resigned, became the first congressman¹¹ convicted in the case when he admitted last month that he took official actions on behalf of Abramoff's clients in exchange for his gifts and campaign donations.

　　前不久刚刚辞职的俄亥俄州共和党议员奈伊是第一个被证明与该案件有关的人。他上个月承认他曾以艾布拉姆的客户的身份行使了官方职权，因为他收取了艾布拉姆提供的礼物和在竞选中得到了他的捐助。

　　The investigation had already ensnared Ney's former chief of staff and two aides to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The investigation cost DeLay his leadership seat before he ultimately resigned, and it contributed to the Election Day defeat of Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Montana.

　　通过调查，奈伊前办公室主任和前众议院多数党领导人汤姆·迪雷的2名助手已经被捕。调查使迪雷的领导地位不保，并最终辞职。这也导致了代表蒙大拿的森·康康拉德·伯恩斯在大选日的竞选失败。

　　Safavian was sentenced in October to 18 months in prison for lying to investigators¹² about his ties to Abramoff. He is asking a federal judge to postpone¹³ his sentence until he can appeal his conviction.

　　沙法维恩因为在与艾布拉姆的关系上跟调查人员撒谎，这使他在10月份被判入狱18个月。他请求法官推迟对他的判决到他进行上诉为止。

　　Burns, who received about $150,000 in Abramoff-related donations and whose aides traveled on the lobbyist's jet to the 2001 Super Bowl, has denied any wrongdoing. Though two of Delay's aides have pleaded guilty, the former majority leader maintains his innocence¹⁴ and has not been charged.

　　伯恩斯接受了与艾布拉姆有关的150，000美元的捐赠，同时他的助手还乘坐说客提供的飞机于2001年去现场观看了美式橄榄球决赛，但他拒绝承认他有任何过错。尽管他的两个助手承认有罪，这位前任的多数党领袖还是坚持自己是清白的。目前，他还没有被起诉。

　　Also under scrutiny¹⁵ are Rep. John Doolittle, R-California, who accepted campaign money from Abramoff and used the lobbyist's luxury sports box for a fundraiser without initially¹⁶ reporting it, and former Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles, whom senators and a former colleague said gave preferential treatment to Abramoff and his Indian tribe clients.

　　同时在接受审查的还有加代表加利福尼亚的共和党议员约翰·多利特和前内政部长的代表斯蒂文·格雷利斯。约翰·多利特接受了艾布拉姆提供的竞选资金，并在没有提前申报的前提下使用了说客的豪华运动轿车用于募集资金。参议员和斯蒂文·格雷利斯的前同事证实说斯蒂文曾给艾布拉姆以及他的印第安部落客户提供好处