WASHINGTON, March 31 (UPI) -- Tony C. Rudy, a former top aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Tex., has pleaded guilty to conspiracy as a result of the investigation into lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Rudy also said he would cooperate with the federal investigation into influence buying in Washington as part of a plea agreement. He could be sentenced to five years in prison.
Rudy, who worked for Abramoff and another former DeLay aide-turned-lobbyist, pleaded guilty to conspiracy Friday in federal court as part of the ongoing scandal centered on Abramoff.
Abramoff was sentenced Wednesday to nearly six years in prison for lying about the purchase of casino boats.
Abramoff took a plea deal in other cases in exchange for informing about crimes committed by members of Congress, their staff, fellow lobbyists and government employees.
The Washington Post reports Rudy's deal means other charges, such as violating a lobbying regulation and conspiracy to defraud clients and bribe public officials, will be dropped.
Rudy was a former spokesman and deputy chief of staff for DeLay, who resigned as House of Representatives majority leader last year amid a money laundering indictment in Texas.
