Text of Abramoff e-mail

The e-mail that lobbyist Jack Abramoff sent to friends at 3:50 a.m. EST Wednesday before going to prison. E-mail addresses and the timing of his family's visits have been deleted to protect their privacy.

Subject: My last email for a while

My dear friends,
I hope that you will forgive the impersonal nature of this email. I write this to you on the eve of my incarceration. I am not sure how long I will be in prison, but hope that it is not too long before we have a chance to see each other again.
First, I wanted to thank you for standing by Pam, the kids and me during this very difficult period. Unfortunately, things are going to get worse (starting today no doubt) before they get better, but I am confident that ultimately the turmoil will subside and we will have our lives back. One day, G-D willing, we will know why all of this had to happen. In the meantime, we soldier on, bolstered in no small measure by your friendship.

Several friends have inquired as to how to stay in contact during this next phase. Though I am grateful for this interest and would of course be thrilled by any contact, I hope that no one will feel at all obligated to be in touch during this time. Having said that, here is the situation.

The questions I have been asked revolve around the following topics: mail, visits, telephone and email.

Mail. Mail is probably the easiest way to stay in touch. Unfortunately, this means snail mail through the good old US Post Office. The federal prison system permits inmates to receive letters, photos and periodicals, but thats pretty much it. Unfortunately, if anything else is sent, it will either be destroyed or returned to you. As for letters, please bear in mind that the authorities have the right (and in my case probably will use it) to read all incoming and outgoing mail. Also, I almost certainly will want to write back to you and, since I dont know whether they are going to limit our stamps, envelopes and paper, if possible, perhaps you could include a self addressed, stamped return envelope and even a blank sheet of paper in that envelope. I am not sure that the return envelope will make it to me, but if not, youll know as soon as you get my return letter. In any event, as you can imagine, I will be beyond grateful for any mail from you. Here is my address at the prison:

JACK ABRAMOFF
REGISTER NUMBER: 27593-112
FPC - P.O. BOX 1300
CUMBERLAND, MD 21501-1300

Click for more