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CREW/Lewis-11


IMPORTANT: This facsimile is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. lt may
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FROM:
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TO:
FAX:
PAGES:
SUBJECT:
N oe! L. Hillman
Chief, Public Integrity Section
Criminal Division
U.S. Depakment of Justice
Bond Room 12100
1400 New York Ave. NW
DC :WOOS
Fax No. .
1
. (202) 514-3003
Voice No. L.l _____ __.
Nancy Nelson, Section Chief .
FBI- Tntekrity in Government/Civil Rights Section
(202) 324-2043
_, _ (Inclu4ing Cover Sheet)
**See Attthed
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FROM DOJ PUBLIC INTEGRITY

(WED I !. I I' 06 I I 3: 56/NO. 486 I 5 78684 P 2
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TO:
FROM:
DATE;
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FACSIMll.E COVER SHEET
Cifuens for Responsibility and Ethics in WaJington
11 DuPont Circle, NAW., 2nd Floor, Washington, I).C. 20036
Noel Hillman, Chief
Public Integrity Section
Melanie Sloan
January 9, 2006
FAX:
PHONE:
Pages:

2021588-5565 .
13 ( nclud1ng cover)
RECEIVED
JAN 9 100fi
CJ3:/J; f)..tJdl) {; OtJ 7'&
PUBUCffiiTEGRITYSECTION
pages transmitted are privileged and confidentiai
CREW /Lewis-13
FROM DOJ PUBLIC INTEGRITY
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(liED) t. 11' 06 13:5,13:56/NO. 4861578684 P 3
for R@sponsibllity and Ethics in Washington
The Honorable Alberto R. Gonzalcs
Attomey General
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530
January 9, 2006
BY FAX: 202-616-2665
Dear Attorney General Gonzales:
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) requests thai
the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice initiate an into the
relationship between Rep. Jerry Lewis (RCA) and lobbyist Bill Lowery and Mr. Lowery's fi:an,
Copeland Lowery Jacqm::z Denton & White.
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Recent press reports indicate that Rep. as Chairman of powerful House
Appropriations Committee, has approved hundreds ofmillions of doll sin federal pTOjects for
Mr. Lowery's clients. See Jerry Kammer) flow o financial uence: Close ties ma.k.e
Rep .. Lewis. lobbyist Lo':!er:Y a.' potent pair, Copley News Service, a e n in Sa11 Diego Union-
Tribune, December 23, 2005 (attached as Exhibit A). In apparent retuT, Mr. Lowery, his
partners, and his firm's clients have donated 37% of the $1.3 million Rep. Lewis's political
action committee has received over the past six years. :xg. an ed former
Hill insider "Word is getting around that ifyou want to be close to Jerry Lewis, i1's a good
idea to be close to Bill Lowery." ld.
Moreover, at least one sts.ffer has moved back and forth betwee Rep. Lewis"s and Mr.
Lowexy's offices: Jeffrey Shockey left Lewis's employ in 1999 aft.er which he joined Mr.
Lowery's lobbying fum. He remained with the fi.rm until2005, when left to return to v,-ork
for Rep. Lewis. !4. When Mr. Shockey worked for Mr. Lowery, his included California
State: University at San Bema<tino, which received millions of dollars eannarks through the
Appropriations Committee. According to the head of federal relations the school, Dr.
Clifford Youug: when others learned of the eanna.rks the school was he begcu1.
receiving calls asking who the schooPs lobbyist was and how the scho91 was receiving so much
federal money. As a result, numerous cities and universities hired Mr. Lowery's fhm and ncarlv
.
all of them received through the Appropriations Committee. J&.
When Mr. Shockey left his position with Copeland Lowery Denton & White to
the Appropriations Committee in January 2005, the finn hired 1 Shockey's ""ife.
Alexandra Shockey, as a subcontractor. Ms. Shockey is also a former of Rep. Le\vis's
and she has her own lobbying finn, Hillscape. Notably, however, Hill.scape
1
s address is identical.
to that of Copeland Lowery Jacquez Denton & White. ld. In addition, :in an to a reporter,
Ms. Shockey admitted that her client roster now includes some of her hi; band's old clients . .Id.
In other words, Ms. Shockey, on behalf of her husband
1
s former partners, is now lobbying
congressional staffers who work for her husband.
1 1 DuPont Circle, N.W., 2nd Floor, Washington. D.C. 2025885565 tf<u<l msloan@dtl:r.ensforethics.org
.
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Th.e Honorable Alberto Gonzales
January 9, 2006
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. Also 1999,_ the Shockeys have contributed $4r ,ooo to Rep. Lewis's
campaign and poht1cal Zl.ctlOn committees.
Similarly, another fonner Appropriations Committee staff memliler, Letitia White, joined
Mr. Lowery's fmn in 2003. While working for the Committee, Mr. Lo'_ivery treated Ms. White to
meals and the two met frequently to discuss earmarks for Mr. Lowery's clients. Kammer, Copley
News Service, December 23, 2005. Within a year of joining Mr. finn, Ms. White
brought in $1.44 million in lobbying fees. I.d. Since 2003, Ms. White jid her husband, Richard
. White, have contributed $30,000 to Rep. campaign and politicj action committees.
Mr. Lowery's '\\-ith Rep. Lewis appears remarkably;' imilar in nature to
relationships between former lobbyist .Tack Abrarooff and other Memb s of Congress-
relationships that are currently the subject of a Department of Justice c . na1 investigation. Just
as Mr. Abram off, his associates, and hls clients made significant contribution.c:; to the
campaign and political actions committees ofMembers of Congress su as Rep. Bob Ney (R-
OH), Rep. Tom DeLay (RTX), and Sen. Comad Bums (R-MT) in app ent return for those
members' legislative assistan.ce, here it appears that Mr. Lowery, his as ociates, and his clients
contributed to Rep. Lewis's campaign and political action committees return for Rep, Lewis's
ensuring federal cannarks for Mr. Lowery's clients. I
The situation is also comparable .to that ofrecent!y convicted foxfcr Rep. Randy "Duke"
Cunningham. As you will recall. Mr. Cunningham pleaded guilty to bribes from the
heads of two defense contractors, Mitchell Wade ofMZM, Inc. and Wilkes of ADCS, Inc.
in return for ensuring that MZM and ADCS received lucrative contracts
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with the Department of
Defense. Mr. Cunningham was able to trade appropriations eannark$ fi cash of his
position as the chairman of a subcommittee of the House Appropriation Committee; as the
Chahman of the full commiti.ee, Rep. Lewis
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s earmarking decisions are ubject to virtually no
oversight.
Given the powerful nature of Rep. position as Chairmanjofthe House
Appropriations Committee, the questions raised regarding Rep. Le"'is 's with :rvfr.
Lowery, and the culture of corruption that has overtaken Congress, it is imperative that the
of Justice immediately undertake a grand jury investigation into Rep. Lewis's
conduct. If, in Rep. Lewis has agreed to eannark funds for Mr. LoWery's clients in direct
exchange for campaign contributions, Rep. Lewis may be in violation bribery laws and
should be prosecuted_ :
As you know, the House Committee on Standards of Official Cofduct has abdicated its
responsibility to police and investigate conduct of of th.e Hpuse of Representatives.
As a result, only the Department of Justtce stands between the: mtcgnty qf Congress and the rule
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The Honorable Alberto Gonzales
January 9, 2006
Page Three
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of cronyism and opportunism. The American public is dependent on tJ:!.e Department of Justice
to protect our democratic system of government. ~
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Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Executive Director
cc: Noel Hilhnan
Chief, Public Integrity Section
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