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HISTORY
The Secret FBI Mission To Bribe Members Of Congress
“American Hustle,” directed by David O. Russell, stars Christian Bale as a scam artist who is forced into action as an informant. Bradley Cooper is the FBI agent who uses him.
Even though identities have been altered, it’s no secret that the movie is based on the notorious FBI sting operation codenamed Abscam. In essence, the undercover operation was a federal corruption scandal that spanned the United States from New Jersey to Florida in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Seven members of Congress were swept up in the sting operation, including six members of the House of Representatives and a long-serving U.S. Senator and a prominent New Jersey state legislator, three Philadelphia councilmen, and a variety of other high-ranking politicians.
Sen. Harrison A. Williams (D-N.J.), Camden Democratic Mayor Angelo Errichetti, New Jersey Democratic Representative Frank Thompson Jr., and other politicians were arrested after being caught on illegally filmed undercover footage taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes.
It was a sting operation that continues to enrage defense lawyers, who say it was focused on violations committed by the government itself. The scandal was labeled a case of prosecutorial misconduct by a former U.S. Attorney for the…
