Ex-Ohio congressman Ney sentenced

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- A federal judge Friday sentenced former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, to 30 months in prison for his role in the Jack Abramoff lobbying bribery scandal.

Ney, 52, pleaded guilty Oct. 13 to accepting free trips, and thousands in cash from Abramoff and taking $50,000 in gambling chips from a Syrian businessman, WBNS-TV, Columbus, reported.

Prosecutors had asked that he get 27 months in prison but Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle gave him a harsher sentence and ordered him to pay a $6,000 fine.

Ney sought treatment for alcohol dependence after pleading guilty to influence-peddling last year.

He is the second Ohio congressman convicted of bribery. Former Democratic Rep. James Traficant is serving an eight-year sentence following his 2002 conviction for bribery and racketeering.