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J. Steven Griles

Former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles is the highest-ranked administration official yet convicted in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Griles served as Deputy Secretary at the Interior Department from July 12, 2001, until his resignation on Dec. 7, 2004, when he left to set up his own lobbying firm, Lundquist, Nethercutt and Griles. While in the Interior, Griles provided Abramoff with information about how to navigate the decisions-making processes within the Interior Department as well as how to win influence with members of Congress.

Griles initially disputed these claims in his Senate testimony in November 2005, but was informed in January 2007 that he was being investigated for lying to Congress. In March 2007, Griles pleaded guilty to counts of obstruction of justice in his role in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Prosecutors, notably, did not allege that Griles did anything illegal to help Abramoff or that he illegally received anything from the former Republican lobbyist, and the plea agreement does not require Griles to help investigators with their grand jury probe.

Griles was sentenced in June 2007 to 10 months incarceration, as well as a fine of $30,000. He reported to a low-security federal correctional institution in Petersburg, VA, in September 2007. His expected release date is July 13, 2008.

Read Griles's Grand Ole Docket entry.

Key Points:

Griles was romantically involved with Italia Federici, who facilitated Abramoff's access to Griles when he was Deputy Secretary.

Federici introduced Griles to Abramoff in March 2001, a week before Griles's nomination to Deputy Secretary. Prosecutors said the meeting initiated a "triangular relationship" for the next several years. Some communication between Abramoff and Griles at the DOI passed through Federici.

Griles admitted that he lied to Congress about his relationship with Federici.

Griles provided Abramoff with inside information on how to successfully lobby the Interior Department on behalf of his clients.

Emails released by Senate investigators show that "the former deputy secretary of the Interior Department had numerous meetings, telephone calls and other contacts with Jack Abramoff concerning the lobbyist's tribal clients." The emails also suggest that Griles "advised Abramoff how to get members of Congress to pressure the department and provided him information about Interior decision-making."

The Justice Department sentencing memo said Griles avidly pushed Abramoff's requests, sometimes browbeating officials who objected and advising Abramoff how to circumvent them.

Having received a job offer from Abramoff, Griles may have helped Abramoff's Native American clients engage in negotiations with the Interior Department.

Abramoff offered Griles a job in September 2003; Griles says he simply rejected the offer. But an Abramoff email shows a more extensive conversation: in it, Abramoff wrote that he had met with Mr. Griles that evening, that Mr. Griles was "ready to leave Interior and will most likely be coming to join us" and that "I expect he will be with us in 90-120 days." NY Times, 11/3/05.

At the time, Abramoff had a number of concerns before the Interior Department related to his tribal clients.

Research by Adrianne Jeffries and Asheesh Siddique

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