The Long Island man who has become a key figure in the burgeoning investigation of possible corruption on Capitol Hill says he got immersed in the scandal through his close friendship with prominent lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and the heady lifestyle it led to in South Florida and Washington.
"I wish I had never met Jack," Adam R. Kidan said in an interview with Newsday, the first he has given to the news media since pleading guilty to fraud charges two weeks ago.
Kidan, 41, admitted in Miami federal court Dec. 15 that he had participated in the $60-million fraud that bankrupted South Florida-based SunCruz Casinos, a line of gambling boats, in 2001. He agreed to testify against Abramoff -- his partner in SunCruz and his buddy since college days -- and also to cooperate with federal investigators probing influence peddling and lobbying on Capitol Hill.
Kidan said that he was not duped, but that he was a willing participant in his and Abramoff's alleged activities.
"I played with the big boys and this is the result -- sometimes you go into a business and the upside potential is so great that you close your eyes and look the other way," Kidan said in the telephone interview. "I looked the other way, and the other way has come back to smack me."
Kidan said he is separated from his wife and cares for their 2-year-old daughter three days a week as he prepares to cooperate with federal and state prosecutors.
Kidan declined on the advice of his attorney, Joseph Conway, to discuss the criminal cases in which he is involved, or his dealings with any members of Congress, other politicians, their staffs or families.
Abramoff's attorneys, who declined to comment Monday, have consistently denied that their client had done anything illegal, although they are reportedly trying to negotiate a plea deal with prosecutors to head off his trial on the SunCruz fraud charges, which is scheduled to start next week. Kidan would be a key witness in such a trial.
"I got seduced by the corporate-jet lifestyle of South Florida," Kidan said, "a Sidney Sheldon novel come true," with its six-figure salary, a posh condo, a corporate jet and an armored Mercedes for transportation.
Now, Kidan said, "I look forward to cooperating" and getting on with his life. He could face up to 30 years in prison for the SunCruz fraud, but if federal and state prosecutors agree that Kidan has given them substantial help, he could get a year in prison, or less.
