Ney’s Sentence Ends Saturday
Served 17 months in prison and halfway houseBy JOSELYN KING
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Fact Box
WHAT ABOUT HIS FELLOW INMATE?
When Bob Ney arrived at the Federal Correction Institution in Morgantown, W.Va. on March 1, 2007, "Survivor" television game show winner Richard Hatch had already served seven months of a 51-month sentence in the Morgantown facility for failing to pay income tax on his $1 million prize.
Ney, who was sentenced to 30 months on federal corruption charges, served nearly a year in prison and was released in February into the custody of a halfway house.
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Hatch is due to be released on Oct. 7, 2009.
WHEELING - This weekend former U.S. Rep. Bob Ney will be a free man after serving 17 months of a 30-month federal sentence.
It also is expected the Ohio Republican will be exercising his freedom of speech soon as a political contributor to the liberal Talk Radio News Service out of Columbus.
Ney is set to be released from federal custody and a Cincinnati halfway house on Saturday, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons information.
Ney has been assigned to the halfway house since late February, the records state.
Prior to that he served almost a year at the the minimum security Federal Corrections Institution in Morgantown.
As a condition of his stay in the halfway house, Ney was required to work at a job. He was hired by his friend, Ellen Ratner, bureau chief for the Talk Radio News Service, who confirmed in March to a Capitol Hill newspaper that Ney was doing research for the news network.
But Ney was prohibited by federal regulations from being on-air until his release. Ratner indicated she planned to use him as a political contributor after he was placed on probation.
Calls to Ratner on Monday were not immediately returned.
Ney could have spent as long as 10 years in prison on charges including two counts of wire fraud, making false statements and violating post-employment restrictions for former staffers - crimes largely attributed to his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
He received a 30-month sentence in January 2007.
U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle also sentenced Ney to serve two years on probation after his release and to pay a $6,000 fine.
In addition, he was ordered to undergo an alcohol rehabilitation program while in prison for treatment of an acknowledged drinking problem.
Time was knocked off of Ney's sentence after he completed a voluntary alcohol rehabilitation program while at FCI Morgantown.
As chairman of the House Administration Committee, Ney admitted to receiving gifts from those seeking to influence him.
These ranged from a trip to Scotland bankrolled by Abramoff's clients to thousands of dollars in gambling chips that Ney got on two overseas junkets from foreign businessman Fouad al-Zayat, a Syrian-born aviation company owner in Cyprus.
Court documents state that during Ney's tenure as chairman, he and members of his staff solicited and accepted a stream of things of value from Abramoff and his associates.
Among these items was a golf trip to Scotland in August 2002 that was valued at $160,000. There were other trips in 2003 to gamble in New Orleans and a vacation to Lake George, N.Y.
Two members of Ney's staff also faced charges for arranging and accepting graft, but neither saw jail time.
Neil Volz was Ney's former chief of staff who moved on to accept a job with Abramoff.
He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, including wire fraud and violating House rules.
These charges stemmed from his employment both for Ney and for Greenberg Traurig, the lobby firm for which he worked with Abramoff.
Volz was sentenced to two years probation, 100 hours of community service and a fine of $2,000.
Volz received a lesser sentence than sought by prosecutors because of his cooperation in providing evidence against the congressman.
William Heaton succeeded Volz as Ney's chief of staff at the age of 23.
Heaton pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud, admitting to "conspiring with Ney, Abramoff and others to accept pricey vacations, meals, drinks, golf outings, tickets to entertainment events and contributions to Ney's campaign in exchange for actions by the congressman that benefited Abramoff's clients."
As the federal investigation of Ney continued, Heaton agreed to wear an informant's wire during important discussions with Ney.
In the end, Heaton received a sentence of two years probation, 100 hours community service and a $5,000 fine.
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Georgetwin
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08-13-08 11:14 AM
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Mom2Two, "in Cambridge looking' in English.
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Georgetwin
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08-13-08 9:56 AM
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Mom2Two, Lake Seneca is looking for folks. Also there is a motorcycle shop looking in Cambridge for College Educated folks who savvy computers/the internet.
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popeye
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08-13-08 9:42 AM
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I'm curious as to what Ney's 100 hours of community service will be. I would like to see him visit various schools (middle/high schools/colleges) and stress the importance of ethics, honesty and integrity or you will pay some type of consequence.
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EllisWyatt
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08-12-08 10:12 PM
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brookie, You had to take a stab, didn't you? Well, I am not here to engage in insults or put downs with fellow posters. I am merely trying to get my point across. I am sorry that you took my statement as a threat or some other nonesense. Let's move on.
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mom2two
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08-12-08 10:03 PM
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As a law-abiding, honest Christian college graduate, I find it so amazing how I can not find a decent job anywhere near here, and he has things handed to him. Maybe I am going about life the wrong way???
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Honesty
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08-12-08 9:47 PM
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Let him out! We need to make room for Alan Mollohan right!
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brookie
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08-12-08 8:53 PM
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Wyatt: Not an insult. Just an observation. But I am sooo thankful that you let it pass...
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EllisWyatt
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08-12-08 5:56 PM
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brookie Was that supposed to be an insult? I'll let it pass. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong regarding the complete sell-out of this nation by current and past politicians, government employees and select military officers.
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brookie
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08-12-08 3:37 PM
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Wyatt: Cynicism passes as insight for the mediocre...
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Georgetwin
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08-12-08 9:56 AM
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EllisWyatt, he is no threat to society, just another Swelled Head suffering from Beltway Botulism.
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EllisWyatt
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08-12-08 6:04 AM
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Name me one politician who does not do the same thing Ney did. He just got caught. Apparently, he did not realize that the old quid pro quo had been updated for the 21st century. He was still looking to make a deal with Tammany Hall. Nowadays, a politician gets his reward AFTER he leaves office. Registered agent for Dubai. Lobbyist for Big Pharma. Partnership at a big law firm. Easy, high-paying job in corporate America. And so on. Any ex-politician, intelligence employee or military personnel who are working as registered agents for foreign countries should be thrown in jail. There should also be a prohibition on certain types of post government service employment. Ney is certainly guilty-of blatant stupidity.
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