Murder arrests tied to Abramoff investigation?
Three men were charged with the 2001 gangland-style slaying of Miami businessman Konstantinos ``Gus'' Boulis, whose sale of a casino boat fleet to Jack Abramoff and a partner has led to federal charges against the prominent Washington lobbyist.
Boulis was shot four times when he was ambushed after leaving his office in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 6, 2001, a Tuesday. He was shot to death after two cars intercepted and stopped him on South Miami Road just south of the Southeast 17th Street Causeway.
Boulis, 51, was a Greek immigrant who founded the Miami Subs sandwich chain in 1990. He later started SunCruz, which is at the center of the charges against Abramoff. Abramoff is also a key figure in investigations involving House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
The indictment, returned Aug. 11 by a grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, charges that Abramoff and Kidan, a 36-year-old New York businessman, used a fake wire transfer to defraud two lenders out of some $60 million to finance the deal to buy SunCruz from Boulis.
Both have pleaded not guilty in the fraud case, with a status hearing set for Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Paul Huck. Abramoff has accused Kidan of hoodwinking him in the sale by keeping secret his past business failures and disbarment as an attorney.
This could get very interesting if there is a real tie between the murder investigation and Abramoff.
Jay