U.S. Representative Bob Ney, an Ohio Republican, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and making false statements related to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and said he'll resign from Congress. | The congressman also said he has a problem with alcohol dependence and is seeking professional help... |
``I plead guilty, your honor,'' Ney, 52, told U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle today in Washington. In a statement distributed later, he said, ``I accepted things I shouldn't have with the result that Jack Abramoff used my name to advance his own secret schemes of fraud and theft in ways I could never have imagined.'' Ney said he'll resign his congressional seat in the next few weeks.
Ney previously admitted in court papers he accepted gifts and travel from Abramoff and thousands of dollars in gambling chips from another businessman in return for legislative favors. He faces as many as 10 years in prison on two counts. Prosecutors have recommended a prison term of two years and three months when he is sentenced on Jan. 19. Following months of insisting he did nothing wrong, Ney last month said he had made ``serious mistakes.'' The congressman also said he has a problem with alcohol dependence and is seeking professional help. House Speaker Hastert and other House Republican leaders said that if Ney doesn't resign, they'll act to kick him out when the House reconvenes, scheduled for Nov. 13. |