First U.S. lawmaker convicted in lobbying scandal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Republican congressman pleaded guilty on Friday to accepting meals, drinks, gambling chips and other items worth tens of thousands of dollars, becoming the first lawmaker convicted in the Jack Abramoff political corruption scandal.
Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record) of Ohio, who abandoned his re-election race in August as the U.S. Justice Department investigated his links to the convicted lobbyist Abramoff, said he will resign from Congress in the next few weeks and was ashamed of the way his public service career was ending.
