Bob Ney
Former Representative Bob Ney (R-OH), who is currently serving a thirty-month prison sentence, left his congressional position after admitting that the had accepted bribes from Jack Abramoff, Michael Scanlon, Tony Rudy, and Neil Volz.
Ney had represented Ohio's 18th congressional district since 1995. As chairman of the House Administration Committee, a position that put him in charge of doling out office assignments and other benefits to House members, he was often referred to as the "Mayor" of Capitol Hill.
Ney admitted to accepting bribes from Abramoff and others on September 15th, 2006. He subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and making false statements. On January 19, 2007, Ney was sentenced to 30 months and fined $6,000. He entered prison on March 1, 2007. See Ney's Grand Ole Docket entry for more information, and follow Ney coverage at TPMmuckraker.
Key Points:
Ney twice entered statements about SunCruz into the Congressional Record at Michael Scanlon's request in exchange for a $10,000 contribution.
As described in Abramoff's plea agreement, on March 30, 2000, Ney disparaged Boulis' "conduct with regard to the Florida law" and charging that his management of SunCruz "gives the gaming industry a black eye." On Oct. 26, 2000, Rep. Ney again entered remarks into the Congressional Record about the Florida gaming industry, this time noting that Sun Cruz was under new, more responsible management with the leadership of Adam Kidan.
Before the second statement (October 23rd), Abramoff wrote to Scanlon, "Would 10K for NRCC from Suncruz for Ney help?" Scanlon replied, "Yes, alot [sic]!" A $10,000 check from SunCruz, signed by Kidan, was subsequently sent to the National Republican Congressional Committee. According to Time, Ney got credit within the GOP for raising the money.
Ney introduced legislation that would allow the Tiguas Indians to reopen their casino after receiving $32,000 in donations to his PAC and campaign from the tribe.
In March 2002, Abramoff e-mailed Marc Schwartz, a consultant for the Tiguas, instructing him to donate to Rep. Ney's campaign. The tribe donated $2,000 to the campaign and $30,000 to Ney's PAC. Scanlon e-mailed Abramoff on March 20, 2002 to tell him that he has signed up Rep. Bob Ney to attach a provision allowing the Tiguas to have gaming rights to the Helping Americans Vote Act, which Ney had co-authored: "just met with Ney!!! We're f'ing gold!!!! He's going to do Tigua." (Former Ney Chief of Staff Neil Volz, now an Abramoff employee, made the appeal to Ney's staff while still subject to the one-year lobbying ban).
Ultimately, the Tiguas casino language didn't pan out. Abramoff, Scanlon, and Ney had promised the tribe that the provision would win Senate support from Sen. Chris Dodd. Later, Dodd will say he never supported the amendment and the Tiguas will claim they were defrauded -- by Abramoff, Scanlon and Rep. Ney.
Ney told Senate investigators that he couldn't recall ever meeting with representatives of the Tigua Tribe, though the investigators heard testimonials that Ney had met with the tribe and told them that he would help them repoen their casino.
The Report to the Committee on Indian Affairs includes the testimony of several members of the Tigua Tribe, all of whom claimed that Ney met with the tribe's representatives for almost two hours. During this time, he spoke highly of Abramoff and agreed that he would help them with their legislative goals. Ney told the investigators that he could not remember any meetings with the tribe.
Ney traveled to Scotland on a trip organized by Abramoff and paid for in part by the Tiguas and then misrepresented the source of the gift in reports.
Abramoff e-mailed Schwartz again in June: "our friend asked if we could help (as in cover) a Scotland golf trip for him and some staff . . . for August. The trip will be quite expensive (we did this for another member - you know who) 2 years ago. I anticipate that the total cost - if he brings 3-4 members and wives - would be around $100,000 or more." (Schwartz testified to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that "our friend" was Ney and "you know who" referred to Tom Delay.) The supposed purpose of the trip was an educational mission for the Capital Athletic Foundation, one of Abramoff's charitable projects.
Later, Ney reported the trip was paid for by the National Center for Public Policy Research and defended the trip's value by pointing to a speech to members of the Scottish parliament and visits to an Edinburgh military and the British Parliament.
At the request of a convicted felon, Ney lobbied then Secretary of State Colin Powell to relax sanctions against Iran.
In February 2003, Ney traveled to London on a trip to London paid for by Nigel Winfield, owner of Cyprus-based FN Aviation, whose criminal past includes tax evasion and a 1982 conviction for attempting to defraud Elvis Presley. Winfield wanted to sell U.S.-made airplane parts in Iran and was seeking special permits. The London trip included a meeting a casino where, in an earlier trip, Ney had won $34,000 on an initial bet of $100. Ney, the only Farsi speaker in Congress, said he had a long-standing interest in Iran and did now know about Winfield's past at the time.
According to Tony Rudy's plea deal, Ney agreed in 2001 to support legislation that would help Abramoff clients.
Tony Rudy's guilty plea alleged that Ney had agreed in March 2001 to "support legislation that would enable Abramoff's clients to continue to manufacture clothing with labels representing it was manufactured in the United States without being subject to the same wage and labor standards as companies operating in the continental United States." Ney has been known for years as a strong supporter of limiting foreign imports, so if he signed onto such a proposal as suggested by the Justice Department, it would have represented a dramatic change of view on a key issue.
According to Neil Volz's plea deal, Abramoff helped pay for a two-night vacation of Ney's in August of 2003.
"In or about August 2003," the plea reads, "defendant VOLZ paid for part of a two-night trip to the Sagamore Resort at Lake George, New York, for Representative #1 and members of his staff. Defendant VOLZ assured Representative #1 that defendant VOLZ would be reimbursed for his payments by Abramoff."
Volz's plea also mentions that Volz convinced Ney to go to bat for Foxcom Wireless, an Abramoff client that wanted a contract to improve cell phone reception in the House.
Research by Austin Bonner, Will Thomas, and Peter Sheehy
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