Did IBM bribe the House Speaker in Massachusetts?

In Massachusetts, it has been about 15 years since we had a speaker of our House of Representatives who has not left a cloud of ethical problems in his wake. The latest is happening right now, starring Sal DiMasi, who staged a reelection as Speaker, followed by a January 2009 resignation and the recent revelations about the real reason for that departure. And it involves the bluest of blue chip firms, International Business Machines (IBM).

While IBM has managed to keep its name out of this story up until now, IBM bought the software company, Cognos, that allegedly bribed DiMasi and his associates to win two contracts, including a $13 million software contract with Massachusetts signed in August 2007. The $57,000 in payments from Cognos to a law firm to DiMasi were allegedly made in 2006 and 2007.