Sen. John Ensign

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nevada) recent resignation may not be enough to keep him out of trouble.

The Washington Post reports that the Senate ethics committee on Thursday took the rare step of referring to federal investigators “substantial and credible evidence” of criminal violations that centered around his effort to cover up an extra marital affair with a campaign  aide. The allegation were contained in a 75-page report by a special counsel hired by the committee.

The Post reported that Ensign conspired to help Douglas Hampton, his former aide, lobby the senator’s office despite a one-year lobbying ban — all in violation of federal law.

Ensign had an affair with Hampton’s wife, Cynthia Hampton, a campaign aide. The Post reported the work as a lobbyist was meant to replace Douglas Hampton’s Senate salary.

The Senate Ethics Committee also stated that Ensign may have violated federal law by asking his parents to make what appeared to be an illegal $96,000 severance payment to the Hamptons, the report said, according to the Post.

Mr. Ensign’s lawyers released a statement Thursday, according to the Post.

“Senator Ensign has admitted and apologized for his conduct and imposed on himself the highest sanction of resignation,” the statement said. “But this is not the same as agreeing that he did or intended to violate any laws or rules.”

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If you’ve got some extra doe, and you’re in to collecting things relating to legendary crime history, the U.S. Marshals Service has a deal for you.

The service is auctioning off the  belongings of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, swindler Bernie Madoff and crooked Democratic Party financier Hassan Nemazee.

CNN reports that the Unabomber’s belongings up for grabs include: driver’s licenses, birth certificates and checks; academic transcripts; typewriters, and “more than 20,000 pages of written documents, including the original handwritten and typewritten versions.”  Proceeds will go to victims.

CNBC reported that Madoff”s wine collection is being sold in an online auction through Morrell Company Fine Wine Auctions, and includes a case of 1982 Chateau-Lafite-Rothschild worth about $50,000.

And CNBC reported that the Marshals Service is asking $28 million for a Park Avenue apartment seized from former Democratic Party financier Hassan Nemazee. He got 12 years after pleading guilty to a Ponzi scheme involving $300 million in fraudulent loans.

By Allan Lengel

Nine members of New York’s Gambino Crime family, ranging from ages from 25 to 70, were sentenced in recent days in Manhattan federal court as part of a wide sweeping indictment that included charges of racketeering, murder, conspiracy, extortion and sex trafficking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

“The successful prosecutions of Daniel Marino and his cronies dealt a significant blow to the Gambino Family — a ‘family’ that will stop at nothing to wield power, extract illegal profits, and exact revenge against its enemies,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. “But we are far from finished,and our goal of disrupting and dismantling organized crime throughout the City of New York and beyond its borders will continue unabated.”

Those sentenced included Daniel Marino, 70, the reputed boss of the family who “presided over” at least 200 full inducted “made” mobsters and hundreds of associates, authorities said. He was sentenced to five years and ordered to forfeit $1.25 million for conspiracy to murder his nephew, who was cooperating with law enforcement.

Marino admitted giving the green light to kill the nephew Frank Hydell, 31. In 1997, fellow mobsters lured Hydell to a strip club in Staten Island where he was shot three times in the face and back. He died in the parking lot.

Others sentenced included:

U.S. Atty. Preet Bharara/doj photo

The Justice Department official credited with bringing down hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam is a wisecracking, self-effacing, Bruce Springsteen-loving prosecutor who is deadly serious about what he views as rampant insider trading on Wall Street.

Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, has been hailed by some in the financial media as the “sheriff of Wall Street.” His office has ramped up white-collar enforcement, charging nearly 50 people in an insider trading crackdown that led to Wednesday’s conviction of Rajaratnam, founder of the Galleon hedge fund, on 14 counts of fraud and conspiracy.

Yet some who know Bharara, while crediting him with aggressive enforcement, say he is following the tradition of an office known for policing Wall Street since Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken were sent to prison two decades ago. The Rajaratnam investigation began during the George W. Bush administration, though Bharara oversaw the case after taking office in August 2009.

To read full story click here.

Read NY Times Story on Bharara

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Robert Mueller

WASHINGTON — Next to the big guy, J. Edgar Hoover, Robert S. Mueller III is the longest serving FBI director.

And with Thursday’s announcement of a proposed two-year extension — which seems all but certain Congress will OK —  he’ll add to the record. His 10-year term is set to expire in September.

Next to Mueller, William Webster served the most years with  9 from Feb. 23, 1978 to May 25, 1987; Louis Freeh served nearly 8 years from Sept. 1, 1993 to June 25, 2001; William Sessions served nearly 6 years from Nov. 2, 1987 to July 19, 1993; and Clarence Kelley served nearly 5 from July 9, 1973 to Feb. 15, 1978.

William Webster/fbi photo

Hoover served nearly 37 years from July 1, 1935 to May 2, 1972.

There were also acting directors who served far shorter times.

After Hoover, Congress passed a law capping the FBI director’s term at 10-years. Congress will now have to change the overall legislation or pass some narrowly worded bill so Mueller can stay on for two more years. Mueller is generally well regarded on Capitol Hill, so it appears it won’t be a big problem passing some form of legislation.

That being said, some like Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Ia.) indicated Thursday that they will give the matter some examination.

“This is an unusual step by the President, and is somewhat of a risky precedent to set,” Grassley said in a statement.

“Thirty-five years ago Congress limited the FBI director’s term to one, 10-year appointment as an important safeguard against improper political influence and abuses of the past. There’s no question that Director Mueller has proven his ability to run the FBI. And, we live in extraordinary times.

“So, I’m open to the President’s idea, but I will need to know more about his plan to ensure that this is not a more permanent extension that would undermine the purposes of the term limit.”

Clarence Kelley

William Sessions/fbi photo

Louis Freeh