Jack Abramoff served 3 1/2 years_Students at Beverly Hills High School gathered Tuesday to hear one of the school's most prominent -- albeit for unusual reasons -- graduates: former lobbyist and convicted felon Jack Abramoff.

Abramoff, who served 3 1/2 years in prison for corruption of public officials, tax evasion and fraud, spoke to students about his time at the school, his rise to Capitol Hill super-lobbyist and his subsequent fall and imprisonment.

Abramoff, a 1977 graduate of the school, told the high schoolers how his interest in politics began in that very auditorium, during repeated failed campaigns for student body president.

"My interest in politics was certainly kindled right here," he said, looking out into the crowd of about 100 students.

Abramoff has emerged as an unlikely advocate against the role and influence of special interests in Washington. He appeared at the school as part of a barnstorming tour across the country to push for ethics reforms and to promote his tell-all memoir, titled "Capitol Punishment."

He spoke of his time as a powerful lobbyist with ties to Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, commanding rates of as much as $150,000 a month from a single client, which drew "oohs" from the teenagers.

Abramoff said he amassed his personal fortune while lavishing lawmakers and others with golf trips to Scotland, free meals and tickets to sporting events in exchange for influence.

"We never lost, we were killers," he said.

"If a client hired us, our ethos was that we were going to win," he said. "That ethos didn't end up serving me well. It turned into an ends justifies the means kind of ethos."

His fall, he said, was not a result of setting out to break the law, but rather an arrogance that led to the belief that the laws did not apply to him.
One student asked him for advice for students with political aspirations to avoid the corruption on Capitol Hill.

"Corruption permeates Capitol Hill," he told the girl. "But a couple things to remember: don't break any rule ... and try not to do anything that you would be embarrassed about if it was filmed and shown on the evening news -- or put on YouTube, I guess is appropriate for this crowd."

Senior Michelle Moreh said that her class had discussed Abramoff and his crimes in class, so it was interesting to hear how he owned up to his mistakes.

"Obviously what he did was not good at all," she said. "But it's pretty cool that he could do a complete 180 and now work toward reform."


source: latimesblogs