On February 2, 1980, the world learned of our high-level investigation into public corruption and organized crime, infamously code-named ABSCAM.

1978-79 Abscam sting, using phony Arab sheiks, a yacht in Florida and suitcases of money to snare a senator, six congressmen and other public officials for influence peddling

The operation videotaped politicians and others taking bribes from federal agents posing as oil-rich Arabs seeking favors on immigration problems and investment projects.

The case was the most spectacular corruption scandal of its era. Breaking publicly in 1980, it spawned almost daily revelations of self-incriminating conversations and exchanges of cash in scenes played out aboard a 65-foot yacht — a prize seized by customs agents in a drug bust — and in airport motels, a Washington townhouse and hotel suites in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

The government-run scam led to convictions and prison terms. It inspired a revision of guidelines in federal undercover cases and legal and ethical debates over whether the defendants had been unlawfully entrapped.