When former D.C. Council Member Michael Brown (Independent) recently registered as a lobbyist after years of inactivity, he joined the ranks of a growing handful of lobbyists with bribery and other certain convictions to their names.
Since Jan. 3, 2019, the Justice Against Corruption on K Street Act has required lobbyists to report any federal or state convictions for offenses involving bribery, extortion, embezzlement, illegal kickbacks, tax evasion, fraud, conflicts of interest, making false statements, perjury or money-laundering.
Brown is one of 11 lobbyists to have disclosed convictions under the JACK Act, named for disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. After years as a lobbyist and councilmember, Brown pleaded guilty to felony bribery charges in 2013 and was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison. He's now lobbying on budget issues for Virginia Union University, a historically black school.
Other noteworthy lobbyists with conviction disclosures since the JACK Act's passage include former Rep. Larry Smith (D-Fla.), as well as Albert Pirro, a former Donald Trump real-estate lawyer and the ex-husband of Fox News co-host Jeanine Pirro. Trump granted Pirro a full pardon on the last day of his presidency.
