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WASHINGTON - William J. Heaton, 28, former chief of staff for Ohio Congressman Bob Ney, has pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle for the District of Columbia to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit honest services mail and wire fraud.
Ney, a six-term Congressman, reports to a federal prison Thursday to begin serving his 30-month sentence in a federal prison in West Virginia.
Ney, who had chaired the House Administration Committee, pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy and making false statements, admitting he traded his influence for golf trips, campaign donations and other gifts arranged by once-influential lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates.
According to court documents, beginning in September 2001, Heaton was employed by former Congressman Ney, serving as the executive assistant for Ney and later as his chief of staff. Ney was a Congressman representing the 18th District of Ohio from 1995 until he resigned last fall before being sentenced to 30 months in prison on corruption charges. In Ney's office, Heaton's duties included managing Ney's office personnel and approving on behalf of Ney the staff's receipt and use of tickets to sporting and entertainment events.
During his plea, Heaton admitted that he joined a conspiracy with Ney and others beginning in August 2002 and continuing through April 2004, wherein he and Ney corruptly solicited and accepted a stream of things of value from Jack Abramoff, Abramoff's lobbyists, and a foreign businessman, in exchange for agreeing to take and taking official action to benefit Abramoff, his clients, and the foreign businessman. The named co-conspirators in the charge to which Heaton pleaded guilty include Ney, Abramoff, and Ney's former chief of staff Neil Volz, all of whom previously have pleaded guilty.
"The FBI has made combating public corruption at all levels of government one of its top investigative priorities, because American taxpayers deserve honesty from public officials and employees," said Assistant Director Chip Burrus of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division. "No corrupt public servant is exempt from FBI scrutiny. We will continue to pursue those like Will Heaton who sell their integrity at the public's expense."
Heaton admitted that he and Ney corruptly solicited and accepted things of value from Abramoff and his lobbyists-including international and domestic trips, meals and drinks, concert and sporting tickets, and substantial campaign contributions and in-kind contributions such as free fund-raisers for Ney-with the intent to be influenced and induced to take official actions. Heaton admitted that Ney, with Heaton's knowing assistance, took and agreed to take official actions benefiting Abramoff, his lobbyists, and their clients, including supporting legislation at Abramoff's request and contacting executive branch agencies to influence those agencies at Abramoff's request.
Heaton also admitted that he and Ney accepted thousands of dollars worth of gambling chips from a foreign businessman who was hoping to sell U.S.-made airplanes and airplane parts in a foreign country. Heaton admitted that he helped Ney conceal some of the money Ney had received, storing the money for Ney in a safe in Ney's Congressional Office and periodically opening the safe at Ney's request so that Ney could withdraw funds. 2-28-07
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© 2007 North
Country Gazette
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