Bob Ney

Ney's New Role? Right-Wing Radio Talk Show Host

Zachary Roth | April 13, 2009, 5:25PM

A second act for our old friend Bob Ney.

Starting today, the former Ohio GOP congressman will be hosting a midday chat show on a right-wing West Virginia radio station, WVLY AM 1370, according to the station's web site.

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Allen Stanford

Ney Praised Stanford In Congressional Record -- Just As He Did For Abramoff

Zachary Roth | February 24, 2009, 6:21PM

Did Allen Stanford get the Jack Abramoff treatment from Bob Ney?

Via the Sunlight Foundation, check out what Ney, the Ohio GOP congressman who went to jail for his role in the Jack Abramoff scandal, entered into the Congressional Record in September 2005:

Mr. Ney: Mr. Speaker --

Whereas, Allen R. Stanford has been recognized as the 2006 Recipient of the "Excellence in Leadership Award" by the Inter-American Economic Council ; and

Whereas, Allen R. Stanford has been acknowledged for his performance and leadership in the areas of finance and investments; and

Whereas, Allen R. Stanford should be commended for his service as the CEO of the Stanford Financial Group based in Houston, Texas.

Therefore, I join with the residents of the entire 18th Congressional District of Ohio in honoring and congratulating Allen R. Stanford for his outstanding accomplishments.

We already knew that Stanford and Ney, who sat on the House Financial Services committee, were tight. Here they're positioned right next to each other at a 2004 Washington event put on by the Stanford-backed Inter-American Economic Council.

(Looks like Ney even got a speaking gig at that event).

And Ney's chief of staff, Wil Heaton -- who also pleaded guilty in connection with the Abramoff scheme -- went on that now-famous (kind of) 2005 junket to Antigua for lawmakers and their aides, paid for by the IAEC.

But the statement unearthed by the Sunlight Foundation suggests the relationship was even cozier. Indeed, it fits an intriguing pattern:

According to Abramoff's plea agreement, one of the "official acts" that Ney took on behalf of Abramoff was an October 2000 agreement "to insert a statement into the Congressional Record which praised the new owner of the Florida gaming company, Abramoff's business partner."

The Abramoff partner was Adam Kidan, who in 2005 pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud in connection to his venture with Abramoff. Abramoff and Kidan gave $10,000, in Ney's name, to the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Just as Abramoff and Kidan sought to get a PR boost by having nice things said about them in Congress, Stanford may have also have stood to benefit from Ney's move. Stanford's ability to attract investors depended on maintaining a sterling reputation. Having his "outstanding accomplishments" praised in the Congressional Record could go a long way to polishing that reputation.

What might Ney have gotten in return? Well, he received $26,200 in campaign contributions from Stanford Financial Group employees. And, even more interestingly, the Sunlight Foundation's Paul Blumenthal notes that the majority of that sum, $14,200, came just over a month after the Congressional Record statement -- after Ney had gotten nothing from Stanford for all of 2005.

Blumenthal also notes that, during more trying times for the congressman, Stanford became a contributor to Ney's legal defense fund.

So, memo to federal investigators: if you see Bob Ney praising anyone else in the Congressional Record, it might be worth getting a little suspicious.

Allen Stanford

Through Obscure Non-Profit, Stanford Wooed Lawmakers

Zachary Roth | February 20, 2009, 6:58PM

By now, we've all seen those pictures of Allen Stanford hobnobbing with lawmakers in Antigua. But, with the exception of one trip by Sen. John Cornyn, it wasn't Stanford himself who picked up the tab for these jaunts -- it was an obscure outfit called the Inter-American Economic Council.

And taking a closer look at the IAEC, and its ties to Stanford, sheds some light on how the Texas billionaire gained access to all those members of Congress -- and what he hoped to gain by doing so.

The IAEC's website says that the Washington-based group was founded in 1999 and that it aims to "provide senior Government Officials, leading Business Executives, and Academic Professionals the opportunity to engage in a dialogue about current and future economic strategies in the Hemisphere." And in 2003, the Associated Press reported (via Nexis) that, according to IAEC president Barry Featherman, the organization "relies mostly on contributions from U.S. corporations."

But the group appears to have remarkably close ties to Stanford himself. In this 2006 report, Bloomberg described Stanford as a "principal backer" of the organization. And Stanford Financial told Bloomberg that it had "donated the use of its aircraft" to the IAEC for one 2006 trip to Jamaica that four Democratic lawmakers went on.

That same year, the IAEC gave Stanford its "Excellence in Leadership" award. A press release put out by the group (since removed from its website) declared that Stanford "has strongly supported the work that the IAEC is doing in Latin America and the Caribbean."

Stanford also appears to have taken advantage of IAEC-funded events by showing up personally to schmooze lawmakers. We already posted these shots of current or former lawmakers including Katherine Harris, Pete Sessions, Tom Feeney, James Clyburn, and John Sweeney chilling with Stanford and Caribbean dignitaries in Antigua in 2005.

But there's also another set of interesting shots from the previous year, showing Stanford breaking bread with, and addressing, lawmakers -- including former GOP congressman Bob Ney (since jailed for taking bribes from Jack Abramoff) -- at an IAEC-sponsored event in Washington.

(You can see the slideshow of photographs from that event here.)

What was Stanford talking to lawmakers about? An IAEC press release from (via Nexis) from the event gives a hint. It says that in his speech, Stanford "addressed the need to streamline regulatory regimes that make it difficult for investors to take advantage of all of the opportunities that exist in the region."

And that same year, Newsday reported (via Nexis) on an IAEC-sponsored trip to Jamaica that included Democratic congressman Gregory Meeks. The IAEC, said the paper, hoped to "ease Patriot Act restrictions on offshore banking," and that according to Meeks, "the trip was an effort by the Inter-American Economic Council to explain the hardships the act has imposed on Caribbean banks."

In other words, Stanford and the IAEC used these events to try to convince lawmakers not to crack down on tax loopholes that work to benefit offshore banking -- exactly the loopholes that allowed Stanford to operate his alleged multi-billion-dollar scam, free from regulatory scrutiny, for so long .

In fact, the IAEC even seems to have used its clout to create a new congressional caucus -- the Caribbean Caucus -- made up of may of the lawmakers who went on the IAEC-backed trips.

After one such trip in 2003, attended by then-Rep. Phil Crane (R-IL), among others, Featherman, the IAEC president, revealed that "Congress is expected to form an informal, bipartisan Caribbean caucus to focus on issues of interest to the region," according to the AP (via Nexis).

The Caribbean Caucus would at various times include, among others, Ney, Meeks, Sweeney, Sessions, Feeney, Charlie Rangel, Mel Watt, Donald Payne, Phil English, Steve Chabot, Donna Christensen, Diane Watson, and Al Wynn, all of whom went to events on IAEC's dime.

Indeed, Stanford seems to have had some sway not only over the IAEC, but over the membership of the Caribbean Caucus itself. That Bloomberg story from 2006 reports that it was Stanford himself who asked Sessions to become a member of the caucus. Sessions seems to have agreed.

The IAEC is staying mum about its relationship to Stanford -- it hasn't returned either of TPMmuckraker's calls over the last few days. And the office of Rep. Payne, who was at one time listed as a co-chair, along with Ney, of the Caribbean Caucus, declined to make anyone available to answer TPMmuckraker's questions.

Allen Stanford

Six Degrees Of Allen Stanford

Zachary Roth | February 18, 2009, 2:24PM

Here at TPMmuckraker, the more we think about the Allen Stanford saga, the more it seems like a kind of harmonic convergence of recent high-profile muck.

The emerging story's range of ties -- some incidental, some more substantive -- to some other high-profile scandals of the past few years, from Bermard Madoff to Jack Abramoff to Rod Blagojevich -- is pretty striking.

First, Madoff.

It's not just that questions about the pace of the SEC's Stanford investigation -- including whether the agency's decision to bring charges yesterday was prompted in part by recent news reports -- have to be considered in light of the SEC's well-documented missteps on the Madoff case.

It's also that, according to the SEC complaint, Stanford's investors were exposed to losses via Madoff -- but falsely assured them they weren't.

From the complaint:

In a December 2008 Monthly Report, the bank told investors that their money was safe because SID "had no direct or indirect exposure to any of [Bernard] Madoffs investments."

But, contrary to this statement, at least $400,000 in Tier 2 was invested in Meridian, a New York-based hedge fund that used Tremont Partners as its asset manager. Tremont invested approximately 6-8% of the SIB assets they indirectly managed with Madoffs investment firm.

Pendergest, Davis and Stanford knew about this exposure to loss relating to the Meridian investment. On December 15, 2008, an Analyst informed Pendergast, Davis and Stanford in a weekly report that his "rough estimate is a loss of $400k ... based on the indirect exposure" to Madoff'.

As for Abramoff, we reported yesterday that a bevvy lawmakers with ties to the crooked lobbyist or a history of other ethical problems - including then-GOP members of Congress Bob Ney, Katherine Harris, Tom Feeney, and John Sweeney, as well as current Rep. Charlie Rangel -- went on a 2005 junket to Antigua that was funded by an organization with close links to Stanford.

Indeed, until yesterday, that organization, the Inter-American Economic Council, had photographs from the trip -- showing Harris, Feeney, and pals hobnobbing in splendor with Antiguan dignitaries -- posted on its website. It's since removed them, but not before we saved them. You can see the slideshow here.

And there's also another congressional angle which, though not on a par with the Abramoff sleaze, nonetheless appears to reflect the cynical money-for-access culture that has characterized Washington politics in recent years:

In 2002, as we reported yesterday, after lobbying from Stanford's firm, the Democratic-controlled Senate killed a bill designed to bolster efforts to catch financial fraud. During that cycle, Stanford's company had given an eye-popping $800,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. And according to campaign finance records examined by TPMmuckraker, it had also given generously to key Democrats on the Senate Banking committee: $8000 to Chuck Schumer, $6000 to Chris Dodd, and $1000 to then-chair Paul Sarbanes.

So there's that.

What about Blago?

Well, it turns out that, according to lobby disclosure reports examined by TPMmuckraker, one of Stanford's paid lobbyists in 2002 -- the year that the firm was lobbying on the anti-financial-fraud bill -- was John Wyma. One form lists Wyma and his team's work as "Helping them address legislature (sic) which involves financial services companies."

In case you'd forgotten, Wyma used to be one of Blagojevich's closest aides, before cooperating with Pat Fitzgerald's investigation by secretly recording conversations with the then governor.

The two were apparently think as thieves at one time. The Chicago Tribune reported at the time of Blago's arrest:

The governor routinely reported exchanging personal gifts and often appeared at Wyma-sponsored fundraisers where Wyma's clients hobnobbed with the governor before turning over checks for his campaign fund.

Now all we need is a link to the U.S. Attorney firings, and we'll be all set.

Allen Stanford

Stanford-Tied Group Funded Numerous Antiguan Trips For Lawmakers

Zachary Roth | February 17, 2009, 4:12PM

The number of lawmakers who may have taken trips to Antigua and Barbuda backed by alleged billion-dollar fraudster Allen Stanford just keeps getting bigger.

According to congressional travel disclosure reports posted on the Legistorm website, between 2003 and 2005 several members of Congress or their aides took trips to the island nation that were financed by the Inter-American Economic Council.

Among the lawmakers current or former: Bob Ney (R-OH), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Max Sandlin (D-TX), Donald Payne (D-NJ), John Sweeney (R-NY), Phil Crane (R-IL), and Gregory Meeks (D-NY).

Aides to Ney, Sessions, Sandlin, and Tom DeLay (R-TX) also soaked up the Antiguan sun.

Stanford is closely tied to the IAEC. In 2006, he received the organization's "Excellence in Leadership" Award. A press release put out by the group declared that Stanford "has strongly supported the work that the IAEC is doing in Latin America and the Caribbean."

There's no firm evidence that Stanford paid for all these lawmakers' trips. But he certainly seems to have been a major financial backer and ally of the outfit that did.

We've called the IAEC to ask about its ties to Stanford and will let you know what we find out.

Bob Ney

"Caribbean Caucus" Lawmakers Took Trips On Stanford Jets

Zachary Roth | February 17, 2009, 3:03PM

Last May, buried in a long Bloomberg report about Stanford's tussles with Stanford University over his claim to be descended from the school's founder, was this nugget:

Members of the House Caribbean Caucus take annual trips to the region on Stanford's jets. Lawmakers are required to reimburse companies at a first-class commercial rate, which is often a fraction of the actual cost.

The House Caribbean Caucus? We don't mind telling you, we weren't even aware of its existence.

But according to this announcement from the Inter-American Economic Council, which appears to be from circa 2005, it has some pretty interesting co-chairs:

Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ), Congressman Robert Ney (R-OH), Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), Congressman Tom Feeney (R-FL), Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Congressman John Sweeney (R-NY), Congressman Mel Watt (D-NC), Congressman Phil English (R-PA), Congressman Steve Chabot (R-OH) Congresswomen Donna Christensen (D-VI), and Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-CA).

That's something of a rogue's gallery...

Ney, of course, did jail time after pleading guilty to lying about his involvement in the Jack Abramoff scandal.

Feeney also was implicated in the Abramoff scandal, and was named one of the "20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress" in a report by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Sweeney also made CREW's list, and went on an Abramoff-funded junket to the Northern Mariana islands with Tony Rudy.

Rangel is currently being investigated by the House ethics committee in connection with, among other issues, unpaid taxes on income from a Caribbean vacation home.

This story just gets more and more interesting...

David Safavian

Potential Safavian Jurors Asked Whether They Play Golf

Zachary Roth | December 1, 2008, 6:29PM

Jury selection began today in the retrial of David Safavian, the Jack Abramoff crony who served as the top procurement official in the Bush White House.

Safavian was convicted in 2006 of obstructing justice and lying to investigators about his work with Abramoff, as well as concealing information about a golf junket he took to St. Andrews, Scotland with Abramoff and convicted former GOP congressman Bob Ney, among others. But that conviction was thrown out on appeal. He was then re-indicted in October, on charges of obstructing justice, lying on a financial disclosure form and providing false statements to various investigators.

The Washington Post reports that, in addition to the standard questions, the judge in the trial today asked potential jurors whether they played any golf. It's unclear whether that would increase or decrease their chances of being picked.

Regular readers may remember that Safavian's alleged love of golf was a major focus of the original trial.

Bob Ney

Out of Slammer, Ney Slams Bush Admin: "They've Taken Bloodsport to a Whole New Level

Kate Klonick | August 27, 2008, 11:39AM

Freshly released from prison, former Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Ney is ripping into the administration, leveling charges that they were behind his prosecution.

Ney, who has taken to the airwaves as a radio commentator, recently appeared on the Thom Hartmann show to talk about the Bush administration's role in his prosecution and his past life as a felon.

"I made the bullets, I gave them the bullets," Ney says of his prosecution for bribery, but goes on to suggest that his willingness to challenge the administration's head-in-the sand approach to Iran made him a target.

From the transcript:

[Thom]: You were prosecuted by the Bush Administration for what Ellen [Ellen Ratner of Talk Radio News] has characterized to me as, you know, one possibly serious crime, one largely irrelevant crime. But mostly something that probably, a number of things that probably many members of congress could be gone after, and she seems to be of the opinion that your prosecution was a political prosecution because you were pushing back on Iran. You want to, can you speak to that, please?

[Ney]: But at the end of the day, you know, I brought a lot of things on myself. . . And I did some things that were wrong. But I also believe that part of this was fueled in the sense of the Iran issue. It's been no secret that when I went to prison I gave permission for a secret meeting I'd had with Mr. Guldimann [Tim Guldimann, then Swiss Ambassador in Tehran] who came from Switzerland. He presented a document that was absolutely incredible, where Iran would have recognized Israel and a whole host of other things, would have let our inspectors on their ground; and I sent that to the White House.

I'll stand by that today; the White House denies it, but Colin Powell's former assistant admits that that came over to the State Department and the White House wanted no part of it. And I believe that every step of the way, and I think it came more from Cheney's people, but every step of the way that I attempted to deal with Iran, it got pretty harsh back. And so I think part of this, I made the bullets, I gave them the bullets, but I think some of the force was also involved with, you know, Iran and people that would rather see those countries not communicate, no matter who is head of Iran.

Later, Ney amps up his critique, saying that the administration has "taken bloodsport to a new level":

[Thom]: It so sounds like the Don Siegelman story and the Paul Minor story, and if you're not familiar with those two stories, I encourage you to do a little Googling. I think that we have political prisoners in the United States now.

[Ney]: Well, I know that the harshness of the administration, and again, I take culpability, I did some wrong things, but when you get in their path, I think they've taken bloodsport to a new level in this administration.

Full transcript after the jump.

Read more »

Bob Ney

Former Rep. Ney to Be Released from Halfway House, Take Job As Radio Commentator

Kate Klonick | August 12, 2008, 12:48PM

After serving 17-months of a 30-month federal sentence for accepting bribes from disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Ohio Rep. Bob Ney (R), is set to be released on Saturday.

Time was taken off Ney's sentence upon completion of an alcohol rehabilitation program while at a minimum security prison, where he was first assigned before being sent to a half-way house in February of this year.

So what is a disgraced former U.S. represenative to do after nearly a year and half in the federal pen.?

Radio commentary of course!

From The Wheeling News-Register:

As a condition of his stay in the halfway house, Ney was required to work at a job. He was hired by his friend, Ellen Ratner, bureau chief for the Talk Radio News Service, who confirmed in March to a Capitol Hill newspaper that Ney was doing research for the news network.

But Ney was prohibited by federal regulations from being on-air until his release. Ratner indicated she planned to use him as a political contributor after he was placed on probation.

Interestingly, Talk Radio News is a media company with a liberal bent, quite the change for the former Republican congressman.

Bob Ney

Ney Due to Be Released in August

Paul Kiel | February 11, 2008, 6:29PM

How time flies.

At the end of this month, exactly one year after he entered prison, ex-Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), so far the only congressman to go to jail for taking bribes from Jack Abramoff, will move to a halfway house, Roll Call first reported (sub. req.) this morning. And then, because of good behavior, he's due to be released in August, shaving approximately 13 months off his 30-month sentence.

A key issue in Ney's sentencing was that he was a "functional alcoholic," who would sometimes crack open his first beer as early as 7:30 AM. Ney's lawyer tells The Columbus Dispatch that Ney, aka Inmate #28882-016, has been involved in an alcohol treatment program at the minimum security prison, and he's doing "pretty well."

Jack Abramoff

Mr. Volz Goes to Washington (And Narrowly Avoids Jail)

Paul Kiel | October 8, 2007, 10:09AM

Neil Volz, who recently was sentenced to probation for accepting bribes while a staffer with ex-Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) and giving bribes while working with Jack Abramoff, explained to The Columbus Dispatch this weekend how it all fell apart. The short version: moral scruples are no match for sweet court-side tickets:

"I came to Washington this total idealist," Volz told The Dispatch last week in his first public comments since he began working with federal prosecutors in 2005. "But it's kind of like I took on this mind-set that there was a machine at work and I was just a cog in the machine. And, therefore, I need to get mine."

It was a world of trying to justify accepting gifts that he knew were wrong, in exchange for legislative favors that he knew never should have been granted.

"It is a lot easier to rationalize something away when you are in the front row watching Michael Jordan play basketball," Volz said. "That's sad to say, but if I can kind of spend the next many years at least being honest about what's happened … hopefully, whatever does come about, for my life, I can live with that."

An interesting entry in the TPMmuckraker Where Are They Now file: evidently trying to erase his moral deficit, Volz now works at U.S. Vets, a nonprofit group that helps homeless veterans.

Jack Abramoff

Former Ney Aide Gets No Jail Time

Paul Kiel | September 12, 2007, 10:54AM

Neil Volz, ex-Rep. Bob Ney's (R-OH) former chief of staff, and one of Jack Abramoff's partners in crime was richly rewarded for his ample cooperation with investigators today. Judge Ellen Huvelle sentenced him to two years probation and $2,000.

Prosecutors had suggested no jail time for Volz since he'd been such a helpful cooperator in putting away Ney and offering muck on other lawmakers. The judge went along with that, saying that "The government has clearly viewed you as the key to their case against Congressman Ney."

Ney's other former aide who cooperated against him, Will Heaton, also got off with no jail time.

Update: More from the AP here.

Bob Ney

Ney Aide Was Cooperator Extraordinaire

Paul Kiel | August 31, 2007, 5:18PM

Which former aide to Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) was the more formidable cooperator?

Will Heaton was sentenced to just two years probation as a reward for the effort (e.g. wearing a wire, taking documents) the young chief of staff put into nailing his boss over to the feds. Ney eventually pled guilty to corruption charges and was sentenced to thirty months in prison.

But Neil Volz, Heaton's predecessor who left to work for Jack Abramoff, might have the greater claim. Despite the fact that Volz played both sides of the fence (essentially working for Abramoff when he was still Ney's aide and then moving over to help Abramoff bribe his former boss and other pols), prosecutors are recommending that he also receive no jail time, but instead get house arrest. That's because, as The Hill reports, Volz has been pulling overtime as a cooperator, not only dishing information on Ney, but also serving as a sort of consultant for investigators on how Capitol Hill works:

In February 2006, he began providing “unlimited cooperation in dozens of debriefings, and his cooperation was substantial, especially in connection with the investigation and prosecutions of Ney, Heaton and [General Services Administration chief of staff] David Safavian,” according to the document.

In the memo, prosecutors said Volz “has spent and continues to spend countless hours providing information about other matters under investigation by the Department of Justice, as well as insight into how staff members and lobbyists conduct business before Congress and the Executive Branch.”

They also said that Volz’s cooperation is ongoing, and could involve other separate DoJ investigations. His cooperation could help prosecutors snare other lawmakers under FBI investigation and those who prosecutors believe may be implicated in the Abramoff bribery scandal.

Bob Ney

Bad Will Heaton

Paul Kiel | August 16, 2007, 1:06PM

Well, not so bad apparently. Ex-Rep. Bob Ney's (R-OH) former chief of staff Will Heaton was sentenced to two years of probation today for his involvement with Ney and Jack Abramoff.

Apparently the judge was mollified by Heaton's extensive cooperation with investigators -- wearing a wire for conversations with Ney and even passing on documents from Ney's office.

Heaton's youth (he's still a ripe 29) was also a factor. As prosecutors wrote in a recent court filing, Heaton was tapped to be Ney's chief of staff at 24 exactly because he was young and unqualified. "Ney intentionally hired and quickly promoted young, inexperienced staffers - who did not receive any formal ethics training from Congress - so that the staffers would have neither the knowledge nor the maturity to question Ney's conduct," prosecutors wrote. And he kept all those young staffers in line by making sure they knew that if they stepped out of line, they'd be cut off from all the lobbyist freebies.

Most of the major cooperators in the Abramoff investigation (such as Ney's prior chief of staff Neil Volz) have yet to be sentenced, as they continue to cooperate with investigators.

Bob Ney

Ney Aide Wore A Wire to Nail His Boss

Paul Kiel | August 10, 2007, 6:00PM

Another wrinkle in the story of ex-Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), who's currently a guest of the Bureau of Prisons in rustic West Virginia. Ney, of course, pleaded guilty last year to accepting bribes from Jack Abramoff.

It turns out that investigators built their case with the help of Ney's very young chief of staff, Will Heaton, who recorded phone conversations with Ney, even wearing a wire during a 2 1/2-hour meeting. The revelation came in a court filing earlier this week. Heaton, who's pleaded guilty to corruption charges, will be sentenced next month, and prosecutors are arguing for a lenient sentence for the staffer, given the help he was in bringing down his boss.

Must Read

Today's Must Read

Paul Kiel | March 1, 2007, 8:23AM

Ex-Rep Bob Ney (R-OH) heads to prison today, where he'll spend the next thirty months. But before he disappears behind the gates of rustic FCI Morgantown, Ney sent an email out to friends and family, waxing philosophical on his fate. It was a touching send off from the man who accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.

The email:

hello,

i will not have access to e mail so this will be my last for awhile. i wanted to drop you a short e mail to give you my address:

robert ney
inmate number 28882-016
fci morgantown
446 greenbag road
route 857
morgantown, west virginia 26501

i also wanted to thank you for all you have done for me and my family. your kind words, thoughts, and prayers throughout the last six months have helped all of us quite a lot.

someone asked me the other day, if i wish i had never ran for office. i answered that i am glad that i did. nothing can erase the wonderful memories, thoughts, constituents, and changes that we, working together with the republicans and democrats, have been able to do. working to bring jobs to the district, helping constituents with issues, and trying to change law to help people has been the greatest memory ever.

would i change things if i could, sure. am i sorry for things that happened, absolutely, and i will pay the price. but, i am grateful for many good people in our office that helped the district and grateful for a free nation, the men and women that protect it, and a wonderful constituency in the district that i used to serve.

my family and i have lost everything on an economical basis, house, health care, possesions, but so have other people, people in the district, many, have lost all. and yes , that is painful for anyone that has gone through it, but, i am so fortunate to have my wife and children, we are so rich with family, friends like you, loved ones that are there for us, and full of hope for a good future.

the darkest days are not ahead, i have gained a higher power, the god of my understanding, is with all of us and that allows me to view tomorrow, although as a day of loss of freedom, as a day of enlightenment and of life to come.

as garth brooks said in his song the dance:

and now i'm glad i didn't know
the way it all would end, the way it all would go
our lives are better left to chance,
i could have missed the pain,
but i'd have had to miss, the dance

my family and my life is starting new, thanks for being part of it.

god bless,

bob ney

Note: Just for fun, compare and contrast the letter-writing styles of ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA) and Bob Ney.

Update: On a more serious note, don't miss the latest from The Washington Post today on the Walter Reed scandal: "Top officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army's surgeon general, have heard complaints about outpatient neglect from family members, veterans groups and members of Congress for more than three years."

Bob Ney

A Day in The Life of a Congressman

Paul Kiel | February 26, 2007, 5:29PM

I just read through the charging documents against Will Heaton, ex-Rep. Bob Ney's (R-OH) former chief of staff who pled guilty today, and they contain a couple precious details about how it was being Ney's right hand man for four years.

As I noted before, Heaton admitted to accepting bribes (the actual charge was conspiracy to commit honest services mail and wire fraud) from Jack Abramoff and others. The bribes included trips to Scotland, New Orleans, among others, tickets to sporting events, and drinks and meals at Abramoff's restaurant Signatures, among other things. In exchange, Heaton helped Ney help Abramoff's clients.

Which brings me to the precious details. The first comes from what's called the Information, a filing that lays out the prosecutors' case against Heaton (you can read it here). In the document, prosecutors show how Ney kept his congressional staff in line:

Ney controlled the receipt of things of value by his personal office staff and the House Administration Committee staff as a way to reward and punish staff by approving their receipt of things of value or by taking things of value and redistributing them to others.

In other words, if you weren't on Ney's good list, you didn't get goodies from the lobbyists courting him.

And there's yet another unforgettable detail in the charging documents.

Read more »

Bob Ney

Former Ney Staffer Latest Guilty Plea in Abramoff Scandal

Paul Kiel | February 26, 2007, 4:27PM

Today, ex-Rep. Bob Ney's (R-OH) former chief of staff pled guilty to corruption charges related to the Jack Abramoff scandal, making Will Heaton the second of Ney's chiefs of staff to do so. The first one, Neil Volz, continues to cooperate with prosecutors.

We'll have the court documents up soon, but the AP has the basics of what he admitted to:

According to federal court documents filed Monday, Heaton's conspiracy charge involves that trip and others. Prosecutors say he also helped Ney solicit and conceal gifts given by lobbyists.

"Heaton and Ney solicited and accepted a stream of things of value from Abramoff and his lobbyists, including overseas and domestic trips, meals and drinks, golf, tickets to professional sporting events and concerts, and monetary and in-kind campaign contributions from Abramoff," prosecutors wrote.

Heaton, who went to work for Ney in 2001 (ultimately succeeding Volz, who went off to join Abramoff), is 28 years old. More soon.

Update: Here is the "Information" filed by prosecutors, detailing the charges against Heaton.

Bob Ney

Crooked Congressman: Pay My Wife -- Please!

Justin Rood | January 31, 2007, 11:20AM

If that don't beat all.

Facing federal indictment last August, then-Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) shut down his re-election campaign. (He confessed his guilt a month later.) He fired all of his staffers -- but one: his better half, Elizabeth.

That's right -- from August to Dec. 31, 2006, Elizabeth has been the campaign's sole paid employee, bringing in about $1,700 a month, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Who's to say she hasn't earned it?

Bob Ney

Ney Gets Longest Sentence in Abramoff History -- For Now

Justin Rood | January 19, 2007, 10:46AM

With a federal judge's order to serve 30 months in a minimum security prison, former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) has received the longest sentence to date in the Jack Abramoff scandal.

He doesn't face much competition -- yet. Only one other figure has been sent to do time, former White House official David Safavian. He was sentenced to 18 months for four counts relating to obstructing the Abramoff investigation. (He's currently living at home, pending appeals.) Roger Stillwell, a former Interior Department official, was recently sentenced to 24 months' probation for accepting illegal gifts from Abramoff.

Of course, Ney won't hold the record for long. When Abramoff and his key co-consipirators are sentenced, they will likely receive several years apiece. Their sentencings have been delayed because they have agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

When he's told them everything, prosecutors are expected to recommend a sentence of between 9 1/2 and 11 years for the disgraced GOP superlobbyist himself. Abramoff business partner and confidante Michael Scanlon faces five years in prison and millions in fines once he tells all; former lobbyist (and onetime Ney chief of staff) Neil Volz could also face five years, though he'll likely get far less. Tony Rudy, another former Abramoff associate, will likely face a sentence of two to two-and-a-half years, depending on his cooperation.

Bob Ney

BREAKING: Ney Sentenced to 30 Months

Paul Kiel | January 19, 2007, 10:13AM

A judge has just sentenced Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) to 30 months. Prosecutors had recommended a 29 month sentence.

According to Fox News, the judge is sending him to a federal prison in Morgantown, West Virginia.

More soon.

Update: From the AP:

When he is released, the judge said, Ney will serve another two years on probation and pay a $6,000 fine. She also ordered him into a prison alcohol rehabilitation program for treatment of a drinking problem he has acknowledged in recent months.

The sentence was harsher than recommended by prosecutors or Ney's lawyers, Huvelle said, because Ney had violated the trust place on him as a public official. "Both your constituents and the public trusted you to represent them honestly," she said.

Bob Ney

Bob Ney: Victim of the Man?

Paul Kiel | January 18, 2007, 3:00PM

Journalist Ellen Ratner, writing on Rep. Bob Ney's (R-OH) behalf to the judge who will sentence him, reports on her conversations with the "many" lawmakers who "would like to support former Congressman Ney, but because of the political climate in Washington, they dare not."

One jewel in particular (read the full letter here):

One of the members I spoke with told me how much then-Congressmen Ney had cared, and how other members of Congress had done far worse things. That member told me that those members are getting off with fines and so forth, but Congressman Ney did not act in lockstep. His voting in congress angered the powers that be in the majority, and he is paying for it unfairly. [Her emphasis]

Hard to know where to start here. But I'll settle with the image of Ney stuffing his pockets with gambling chips in a London casino, a bribe from a Syrian businessman known as "The Fat Man."

Bob Ney

Aide: Ney Loved the Smell of Bud Light in the Morning

Paul Kiel | January 18, 2007, 12:16PM

From The Plain Dealer:

Attorneys for former Ohio GOP Rep. Bob Ney today submitted 95 pages of letters from Ney's friends, family, and former staffers urging leniency for the disgraced congressman and citing the role of alcohol in his fall.

Ney's lawyer, Mark Tuohey, submitted the letters to make the case that Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle should send Ney to a residential drug abuse treatment program when she sentences him tomorrow on charges of conspiracy and making false statements.

"Bob was a functioning alcoholic who could rarely make it through the day without drinking and would often begin drinking beers as early as 7:30 a.m.," said a letter from his former staffer and campaign manager Matthew Parker.

Bob Ney

Ney: Send Me to The Drunk Tank, Not The Slammer

Paul Kiel | January 11, 2007, 2:20PM

Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), who accepted a host of bribes from lobbyist Jack Abramoff, has said before that drink made him do it.

Now his lawyer, in a request to the judge for lenience, repeated that again yesterday, and requested that "the Court specifically find that Mr. Ney’s alcohol addiction contributed to the conduct he has admitted." His lawyer added that "Mr. Ney would benefit from participation in the Residential Drug Abuse Program offered by the Bureau of Prisons during any term of imprisonment." (You can read the entire filing here.)

As Justin pointed out before, the residential program would remove Ney from the general inmate population and may ultimately reduce his sentence by up to a year. Prosecutors have recommended 29 months in prison for Ney. His sentencing will take place January 19th.

Bob Ney

Convicted GOP Rep Asks Friends for Favor

Paul Kiel | December 14, 2006, 10:44AM

A friend in need is a friend indeed. So if you're buddies with Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), now's the time to show it.

Ney, who pled guilty to bribery charges last month, is scheduled to receive his sentence January 19th. The prosecutors have recommended he serve 27 months of not-so-hard time. Like Jack Abramoff, he would likely serve it in a minimum security prison.

But Ney's lawyers want as much leniency as possible so they've written to Ney's friends and colleagues, asking them to write to the judge about "your feelings about Bob’s character, his work for his constituents in Ohio, his work on national issues, his integrity, his dedication to public service, and anything else that you think will give the judge a full understanding of who Bob is and the work he has done.”

Letters like these can indeed help at a sentencing -- but so does taking responsibility for your crime, which Ney (like former administration official David Safavian, who was also convicted of charges related to the Abramoff investigation) has shown no indication of doing.

Bob Ney

Ohio Struggles to Forget Felon Ex-Congressman

Justin Rood | November 14, 2006, 11:03AM

Lo, how the mighty have fallen.

From this morning's Wheeling (WV) Intelligencer:

The Robert W. Ney Center soon could be renamed “The Ohio University Eastern Health and Physical Education Center.” That is the suggestion of the OUE Regional Coordinating Council, which met late Monday afternoon at Shannon Hall. . . .

Belmont County Western Division Court Judge Harry W. White — chairman of the council — delivered a statement indicating that while OUE officials appreciated Ney’s support leading to the construction of the facility, they would recommend that his name be removed from the OUE athletic complex.

Bob Ney

NEY: I'M OUTTA HERE

Justin Rood | November 3, 2006, 3:45PM

CQ reporting:

Rep. Bob Ney, facing certain expulsion from the House after being convicted of two felonies in relation to the Jack Abramoff scandal, said on Friday he will resign by the end of the day.

Ney, who pleaded guilty Oct. 13 to making false statements and conspiracy to commit fraud, is the first member of Congress to be convicted as part of the wide-ranging Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.

Ney, in a call to Congressional Quarterly, said “I’ll be resigning today, approximately 4 or 4:30 p.m. I’ll be submitting my letter to the Speaker of the House.” . . .

“I have completed the loose ends — the audit came back, the boxes are shipped out,” Ney said. “I’m done with everything I wanted to complete.”

As we noted back in mid-October after Ney pled guilty, he just needed to hang around Congress until November 1st to get his last paycheck of $13,000.

Bob Ney

Ney's Drinking Problem Could Cut His Jail Time

Justin Rood | October 14, 2006, 8:55AM

A few weeks ago, when Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) first acknowledged breaking the law, he blamed his alcoholism and skedaddled to a rehab facility.

More than a few readers cried foul. For one thing, who knew this guy was a lush? they asked. (We checked, and the answer was "a lot," at least among Capitol Hill denizens.)

A smaller number of readers thought this rehab gambit was a way to trim his eventual jail sentence. When at Ney's guilty pleading yesterday his lawyer, Mark Tuohey, specifically asked the judge that Ney be considered for a treatment program while incarcerated, I began to wonder if they were right.

So I checked the Bureau of Prisons Web site, and guess what? It looks like our readers were onto something.

"Non-violent inmates who are diagnosed with a substance use disorder may be eligible for up to a year off his/her sentence," the site says. And in certain prisons, inmates with substance abuse problems can be placed in a separate residential treatment program which keeps them apart from the general inmate population.

That's a good lawyer you've got there, Bob.

Bob Ney

GOP: Out, Out, Damn Ney!

Paul Kiel | October 13, 2006, 2:11PM

The House Republican leadership released a statement today saying that if Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) doesn't resign by the time Congress reconvenes after the election, then they will "move to expel him immediately."

But Bob's taking his time. His lawyer said this morning he won't be stepping down for a "few weeks," because he's got some housekeeping to do.

That "housekeeping" may include picking up a final Congressional paycheck: As Roll Call points out, "House employees get paid on the first of every month, so if Ney remains in his seat until at least Nov. 1, he will receive one final paycheck of more than $13,000."

As if to emphasize that he still feels very much a part of Congress, it appears that Ney wore his Congressional lapel pin to his plea hearing. The pin is what members use to identify themselves to Capitol Police.

Bob Ney

Ney: Will He Enter Rehab for Denial as Well?

Paul Kiel | October 13, 2006, 12:55PM

So Bob Ney says, "I never acted to enrich myself or to get things I shouldn’t, but over time, I allowed myself get too comfortable with the way things have been done in Washington, D.C. for too long."

Never? On the score of trying to "enrich [himself]" and "get things [he] shouldn't," I think Ney's acceptance of "thousands of dollars worth of gambling chips" from Syrian-born businessman and notorious gambling man Fouad "The Fat Man" al-Zayat might qualify. In his guilty plea, Ney admitted to accepting the chips for a couple high-flying nights in a London casino. With Zayat's help, Ney walked away with "more than $50,000."

Because Ney wanted more money than he was willing to publicly declare when he re-entered the country, he had one of his staffers tell U.S. Customs that $5,000 of it was his -- Ney then re-collected the money once they were safely back in the country.

In return for Zayat's generosity, Ney helped Zayat get a U.S. travel visa. And since Zayat had a company that was seeking to sell U.S.-made airplanes and airplane parts to Iran, Ney also tried to get an exemption to U.S. laws that ban the sale of such parts to Iran.

I guess that's what Ney means by getting "too comfortable with the way things have been done in Washington?"

Bob Ney

Ney: I Got "Too Comfortable"

Paul Kiel | October 13, 2006, 12:18PM

In a statement issued after his guilty plea today, Bob Ney said that he was "[accepting] responsibility," but then explained, "I never acted to enrich myself or to get things I shouldn’t, but over time, I allowed myself get too comfortable with the way things have been done in Washington, D.C. for too long."

He also seemed to indicate that he wasn't a totally willing participant in Jack Abramoff's "schemes," saying "I accepted things I shouldn’t have with the result that Jack Abramoff used my name to advance his own secret schemes of fraud and theft in ways I could never have imagined."

Full statement below the jump...

Read more »

Bob Ney

Ney To Resign in "Next Few Weeks"

Paul Kiel | October 13, 2006, 11:06AM

Rep. Bob Ney's lawyer Mark Tuohey said in court this morning during his guilty plea hearing that Ney will not be resigning from Congress immediately -- but rather "in the next few weeks."

Tuohey said the delay came because Ney had some “constituent issues he wanted to tie up” and also wanted to ease the transition for his congressional staff. Tuohey didn't offer a specific date. Ney himself did not speak during the hearing, except to say "Yes" or "No," or "I plead guilty, your honor."

The judge set Ney's sentencing for January 19th. Ney faces a maximum of ten years, but prosecutors have said that they'll recommend a sentence of 27 months.

Tuohey also asked that Ney be considered for alcohol treatment while in prison. Ney's been in an alcohol rehab facility since he pled guilty September 15.

Bob Ney

Roll Call: Ney to Resign

Paul Kiel | October 13, 2006, 10:44AM

"Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) will formally resign from the House today, according to two House GOP sources," Roll Call reports.

The speculation has been that he would resign today, in a bid to convince the judge how very sorry he is for his crimes (or maybe he did get the hint). Justin will have more later from the scene at the courthouse.

Bob Ney

Stabbed in the Back!

Paul Kiel | September 19, 2006, 8:54AM

Loyalty. Doesn't it mean anything anymore?

Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) has gone out of his way to make life better for his chosen successor, Joy Padgett. When he announced that he would not seek reelection, he endorsed the Ohio state senator to follow in his footsteps. And when he agreed to plead guilty to two felony counts last Wednesday, he delayed the announcement delayed until Friday so as not to affect Padgett's chances in the special election to replace him as the Republican nominee in his district. (Padgett won handily.)

But how does Padgett reward Ney? With this statement:

Congressman Ney's admission of guilt to serious charges requires his immediate resignation. That being said, it was my expectation that Congressman Ney would have by now resigned his office in the United States Congress. I am calling on him to do so immediately. Failing that, Congress should take action to expel Congressman Ney as soon as possible.

Now, according to unnamed Republican Congressional aides, all Ney wants to do is draw a pay check. He doesn't want to cause any more trouble. He just wants to stick around a little longer to pay his legal bills.

But Joy Padgett's political instincts appear stronger than her loyalty to the man who gave her a shot at the big time. How fickle is a friendship that vanishes because of a few bribes?

Bob Ney

Bob Ney, Not Getting the Hint

Justin Rood | September 18, 2006, 4:30PM

Boyz II Men was right: It is so hard to say goodbye to yesterday. At least for Rep. Bob "I didn't do it/oh wait yes I did" Ney (R-OH).

GOP anxiety ran high over the weekend, thanks to Ney. While he sprang a bouquet of revelations on them last week -- admitting to felonies, revealing his alcoholism, publicly apologizing for his misbehavior -- an announcement he'd be leaving Congress wasn't among the bunch.

And despite public efforts by GOP leaders and anonymous bitter Republicans to convince him to leave on his own, Ney made it pretty clear today he's not gonna go along.

"Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) sent two letters to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) today announcing he would immediately step down from his Financial Services subcommittee chairmanship and also relinquish his chairmanship of the Franking Commission, which oversees and sets guidelines for mass mailings sent from Congressional offices," Roll Call (sub. req.) reports this afternoon.

It's good to know that Ney has such a high regard for the Franking Commission that he believes criminals shouldn't be allowed to chair it. But I guess it's a comment on the integrity of our legislative branch that Ney believes his felonious shoulders have a right to rub with those of his fellow lawmakers.

The GOP has been pushing Ney to quit Capitol Hill since he acknowledged his crookedness Friday morning.

Read more »

Bob Ney

NRCC Won't Return Ney Cash

Justin Rood | September 18, 2006, 4:10PM

During his years of corrupt lawmaking and petty criminality, Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) gave generously to his GOP groups and his fellow Republicans' campaigns, as groups like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have noted.

Since Ney's guilty admission last week, two lawmakers have announced they will give to charities the amount of money donated to their campaigns by Ney and his political action committee, American Liberty PAC. Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) says she will give back the $6,000 she received from Ney, and Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) said he will give "any campaign contributions he received" from Ney to local charities. (According to the DCCC, Renzi received $11,000 from Ney's organizations.)

But the National Republican Congressional Committee, locked in a bitter fight to preserve GOP dominance in the House, says no way.

"We are not returning the money," NRCC spokesman Ed Patru told me, referring to the $47,000 his group took from Ney. "I'll remind you that the DCCC did not return the tens of thousands of dollars it took from convicted felon Frank Ballance, or from convicted felon Joe Cari."

Read more »