Ney pleads guilty to corruption charges

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Robert Ney, the only congressman charged in the Washington lobbying scandal, pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy.

Ney's plea bargain calls for a 27-month prison sentence. U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle scheduled sentencing for January.

"Congressman Ney betrayed the trust of the constituents he was elected to represent by trading the power and influence of his office for gambling chips, luxury travel, and thousands of dollars of meals, drinks and tickets," Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher said.

The named co-conspirators include lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Michael Scanlon and Neil Volz, who have all pleaded guilty. Scanlon once worked for former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, while Volz was Ney's chief of staff. The charges against Ney included violating Volz's one-year lobbying ban.

Ney said that he wants to help his staff find new jobs before he resigns his seat, the New York Times reported. But Republican leaders said that if he is still in Congress after the November election, his expulsion will be "the first order of business." White House spokesman Tony Snow also urged him to step down.