Frederick A. Black

Acting U.S. Attorney in Guam Frederick A. Black was unexpectedly demoted and removed on November 19, 2002, by President George W. Bush from the office he had held since 1991. The federal grand jury criminal investigation Black had been conducting regarding Jack Abramoff was shut down and Black was given "a subsequent order barring him from pursuing public corruption cases." 

No further action on the Abramoff case followed until August 2005 when Public Auditor Doris Flores Brooks initiated a new investigation of the Abramoff contract. "The new Guam inquiry remains open."

Demotion Investigation
"The Justice Department's inspector general and the F.B.I. are looking into the demotion of a veteran federal prosecutor whose reassignment nearly three years ago shut down a criminal investigation of the Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, current and former department officials report," Philip Shenon wrote in the September 27, 2005, New York Times.

Guam Grand Jury Investigation
In 2002, Abramoff was retained under a secret contract by the Guam Superior court to lobby against a bill proposing to put the Superior court under the authority of the Guam Supreme court.

The $324,000 was paid to Abramoff through a Laguna Beach, California lawyer by means of 36 checks of $9,000 each. If done to avoid the federal reporting requirements for payment transfers this would constitute illegal 'structuring' under 31 USC 5324(a). The form of payment might also be illegal if it was used to evade federal contracting rules requiring an open tender for contracts over $10,000.

On November 18, 2002, a grand jury issued a subpoena demanding that the administrator of the Guam superior court release all records relating to the contract.