Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH) addresses a campaign crowd in January 2006. Ney pleaded guilty to a wide conspiracy of fraud and influence peddling linked to the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal, the US Justice Department said.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Jeff Swenson)Well, we've got another exciting episode of The Jack Abramoff Show! This is off The Washington Post:
Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) agreed today to plead guilty to conspiring to commit multiple official acts for lobbyists in exchange for campaign contributions, meals and luxury travel, sports tickets and gambling chips. He became the first elected official to face charges in the ongoing influence-peddling investigation of former lobbying powerhouse Jack Abramoff.
After insisting for more than a year that he had broken no laws in his dealings with Abramoff, Ney signed a plea deal Wednesday that was entered into federal court today. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 27 months in prison.
Ney admitted to offering legislation at the behest of Abramoff and his team of lobbyists, which included Ney's former chief of staff Neil Volz. He accepted a stream of things of value in exchange, including luxury vacation trips to Scotland, Lake George, N.Y, and New Orleans, as well as gambling chips, tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions, free meals and tickets to sporting events. Prosecutors valued the trips alone at more than $170,000.
In 2002, Ney sought to insert four separate amendments into an election reform bill to benefit Abramoff's lobbying clients. He further admitted to helping another client win a multi-million-dollar contract to provide wireless communication service to the U.S. Capitol, and to inserting comments into the Congressional Record to help Abramoff purchase a casino cruise line in Florida.
Ney, 52, under legal and political pressure for months because of his connections to Abramoff, announced this summer that he would not seek reelection. In a statement released by his office today, Ney said, "I have made serious mistakes and am sorry for them. I am very sorry for the pain I have caused to my family, my constituents in Ohio and my colleagues." He said he recently recognized that "a dependence on alcohol has been a problem for me."
Ney was chairman of the House Administration Committee until revelations about his ties to Abramoff forced him to step down from his post earlier this year.
Of course, you know that Ney will also be talking to the Feds, providing more information regarding the corruption probe on the GOP congressmen. This probe is still not over yet.
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