EX-JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ATTORNEY SENTENCED

A former Justice Department attorney was sentenced Friday in Miami to more
than seven years in prison for laundering drug money for a Colombian cocaine
kingpin.

Michael Abbell, who will remain free pending an appeal, was convicted of
transferring money from Cali cartel leader Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela to
jailed cartel members and their families to ensure their loyalty and
silence.

Abbell, 58, headed the Justice Department's effort to extradite Colombian
drug smugglers before becoming their attorney more than a dozen years ago.

Switching sides after 17 years at Justice, he brought to the now-defunct
Calif group an intricate knowledge of the U.S. legal system.