"It once appeared that despite his unseemly role in the bribery scandal surrounding disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Todd Boulanger had weathered the proverbial storm.

Politico noted this year that Boulanger, the former vice president of Cassidy & Associates, a Washington lobbying firm, "has proven his nattily attired, outside-the-box staying power."

But the November guilty plea of a former associate quickly changed all of that.

Boulanger, a former aide to former Sen. Bob Smith (R-N.H.) and a longtime Abramoff associate, was charged yesterday with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors say Boulanger, while working for Abramoff, plied government officials with gifts, including sporting and concert tickets, meals and all-expense paid trips, in exchange for political favors.

It was a startling fall for a man once described as one of Washington's most fashionable and one of the nation's top 50 lobbyists to watch."

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