David Safavian

Former DOJ Prosecutor: Ring Case Was "Extremely Problematic" From The Start

Zachary Roth | October 16, 2009, 3:17PM

A former prosecutor with the Justice Department's Public Integrity unit has called the case against Kevin Ring "an extremely problematic prosecution," since the favors that Ring was accused of doing for public officials weren't in themselves illegal.

A mistrial was declared in the case yesterday, after jurors deadlocked on the charges against the former Team Abramoff lobbyist.

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Topics: David Safavian, Jack Abramoff, Justice Department, Kevin Ring, Lobbyists, Ted Stevens

David Safavian

Safavian Gets A Year In Prison For Role In Abramoff Scandal

Justin Elliott | October 16, 2009, 1:52PM

David Safavian, the former Bush Administration official who was convicted for the second time in December for lying and obstruction of justice in the Jack Abramoff probe, was sentenced today to a year and a day in prison, the Washington Post reports.

Safavian, who was chief of staff at the General Services Administration, was also convicted of lying on a financial disclosure form about the costs of Abramoff's famous 2002 golf junket to Scotland, which Safavian attended.

The Post reports that Safavian, whose wife is pregnant, made a plea for leniency to the judge today:

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Topics: Bush Administration, David Safavian, General Services Administration, Jack Abramoff, Kevin Ring, Lobbyists