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What was ABSCAM?

ABSCAM was an undercover operation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to find corrupt government officials and prosecute them. In 1978 agents began posing as American representatives of Arab businessmen whose company, the fictitious Abdul Enterprises Limited, was willing to buy political influence (pay politicians for favors or business advantages) in the United States. (ABSCAM comes from the first two letters of the business name, with the word "scam," meaning an illegal scheme, added to the end.) The trap was set. The first to be caught was Congressman Michael J. Myers (1943– ) of Pennsylvania, who was videotaped accepting a $50,000 bribe and saying, "I'm going to tell you something real simple and short—money talks in this business." Other officials were trapped in the FBI operation; all of them were arrested on charges of bribery and conspiracy. The first of seven trials got under way in...

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