Jack Abramoff liked to go bargain hunting. Only he had a particular way of doing it. Instead of looking in the $2.99 bins at Filene’s or driving around to garage sales that he found in the back of the City Paper he would email his buddy David Safavian at the General Services Administration to get discounted stuff sold by the government. The Washington Post provides more email exchanges between the two:

“I have a need to buy a stretch limo for the restaurant,” Abramoff wrote, referring to Signatures, the downtown establishment he owned. “Are there any coming up on any of the GSA drug property sales?”

Safavian, according to the documents recently filed by Justice Department prosecutors at U.S. District Court, wrote back that the GSA does not auction off seized cars. But he added that he was ready to help: “Let me call a friend at the Marshall’s Service. They handle drug seizures.”

Abramoff replied: “I was thinking of the druggies bounty. No problem. Thanks, see you Friday.”

Safavian has been charged with lying about Abramoff’s desire to do business with the GSA so that he could take a golfing trip to Scotland.