Neil Volz
From 1996 to 2002, Neil Volz worked for Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), first as his press secretary and then as chief of staff. In 2002 he joined Jack Abramoff at Greenburg Traurig LLP. Volz appears in Abramoff's plea as "Staffer B."
After Abramoff was forced to resign from Greenberg, Traurig, Volz moved to the law firm Barnes and Thornburg LLP. He abruptly resigned from that position shortly after Abramoff's guilty plea.
On May 8, 2006 Volz pleaded guilty to conspiracy in connection with an investigation into the bribery of public officials. In the pleaVolz admitted that he conspired with Abramoff and others to commit fraud and to violate a federal ban on lobbying within one year of his congressional employment. The plea names Bob Ney as "Representative #1."
Volz faced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. But in May of 2006, The Washington Post reported that Volz had been talking "to prosecutors for three months, [and] is providing information on other lawmakers and staff." In September of 2007, Volz's attorney confirmed that his client had fully cooperated with prosecutors. This cooperation played a key role in Ney's 30 month jail sentence and a lenient sentence of no jail time for Volz. Volz was rewarded for his ample cooperation with investigators. On September 12, 2007, Judge Ellen Huvelle, who told Volz that "the government has clearly viewed you as the key to their case against Congressman Ney," sentenced him to two years probation and $2,000.
See Volz's Grand Ole Docket entry.
Key Points:
Neil Volz violated the one-year "cooling off" period lobbying law.
In February of 2002, Volz left Ney's office to work with Jack Abramoff at Greenberg, Traurig LLP. The following month, Ney agreed to sponsor legislation that would reopen the casino of Jack Abramoff client the Tigua tribe of El Paso.
In Abramoff's plea deal, Volz, referred to as "Staffer B," is claimed to have broken the law preventing congressional staff members from lobbying their former bosses within one year of leaving their offices.
Volz was Scanlon's and Abramoff's access to Ney.
In March of 2000, Ney used the Congressional Record to attack Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, owner of the Florida gambling boat company SunCruz, which Abramoff and his business partners sought to purchase. In October of 2000, Ney inserted another statement in the Congressional Record, this time praising SunCruz's new ownership to help counter complaints from Boulis over missing payments. Scanlon "orchestrated the remarks" and had approached Ney through his chief of staff, Volz, according to the Post.
Research by Peter Sheehy and Josh Hudelson
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