Jailed Ohio Politico Bob Ney: Was He Secret Agent Double-Oh Crook?

CLEVELAND (TDB) -- Former Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Ney is locked up in a federal prison on corruption charges involving a Washington lobbying scandal. Between his dirty deeds, the Ohioan may have been a go-between in a secret and unsuccessful peace initiative between Iran and the United States.

Trita Parsi, a Johns Hopkins adjunct prof who heads the National Iranian-American Council, presents some cloak-and-dagger details in a 384-page book published by Yale University Press. The book is called Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the United States, and Parsi contends Ney was the conduit who got a back-channel peace feeler from Tehran delivered to the White House. The Iranians wanted to become America's buddies, and the story turns up on page 247 in a passage about secret dealings.

There is more about the unusual route of the peace feeler, which Parsi says was real but has yet to be confirmed. Others detect the scent of a self-promoter and note that Parsi has been close to Ney over the years.

Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Tom Suddes points out that Ney does have Iranian connections -- he taught English in that nation until shortly before the Shah fell. Suddes doesn't try to throw much cold water on Parsi's claim that Ney was involved in international intrigue. Suddes writes:

"According to Parsi, not long after Baghdad fell to coalition troops in 2003, Iranian officials channeled a peace feeler to Washington . . . Iran feared Washington's inner-circle war hawks might keep the feeler from Bush, so the Iranians sent a copy of their offer to Ney. Ney, Parsi wrote, had one of his U.S. House employees hand-deliver the Iranian message to Karl Rove, Bush's White House Rasputin. Rove -- according to Parsi -- vowed to deliver the 'intriguing' message to the president. To State Department officials, the Iranian offer, according to Parsi, 'was a no-brainer' because Iran was offering the United States, then at high tide militarily, big concessions. But nothing ever happened at the Washington end."

Parsi contends Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld intervened. They would not consider a deal. Why? Iran was just too evil.

Crooked Ohio Congressman Bob Ney: Kept Loot In House Safe

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Former Ohio U.S. Rep. Bob Ney's top aide admitted in federal court today that he took part in the corruption conspiracy that landed his boss in a penitentiary for 30 months, and said Ney stored payoffs in his House office safe. William J. Heaton described in his guilty plea "periodically opening the safe at Ney's request so that Ney could withdraw funds."

An FBI official said Republican Ney, who represented Oh-18, and Heaton both sold their integrity. There was $47,000 in the stash of illegal cash.

Ney resigned last year in disgrace after being snared in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Some of the money he took under the table included chips from a British casino, which were cashed in and wound up as bills stacked in the House safe. The Justice Department said Heaton, 28, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle in Washington. He was charged in a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit honest services mail and wire fraud. Below is an excerpt from a statement issued by the Justice Department:

"According to court documents, beginning in September 2001, Heaton was employed by former Congressman Ney, serving as the executive assistant for Ney and later as his chief of staff. Ney was a Congressman representing the 18th District of Ohio from 1995 until he resigned last fall before being sentenced to 30 months in prison on corruption charges. In Ney's office, Heaton's duties included managing Ney's office personnel and approving on behalf of Ney the staff's receipt and use of tickets to sporting and entertainment events.

"During his plea, Heaton admitted that he joined a conspiracy with Ney and others beginning in August 2002 and continuing through April 2004, wherein he and Ney corruptly solicited and accepted a stream of things of value from Jack Abramoff, Abramoff's lobbyists, and a foreign businessman, in exchange for agreeing to take and taking official action to benefit Abramoff, his clients, and the foreign businessman. The named co-conspirators in the charge to which Heaton pleaded guilty include Ney, Abramoff, and Ney's former chief of staff Neil Volz, all of whom previously have pleaded guilty.

"Heaton admitted that he and Ney corruptly solicited and accepted things of value from Abramoff and his lobbyists-including international and domestic trips, meals and drinks, concert and sporting tickets, and substantial campaign contributions and in-kind contributions such as free fund-raisers for Ney-with the intent to be influenced and induced to take official actions. Heaton admitted that Ney, with Heaton's knowing assistance, took and agreed to take official actions benefiting Abramoff, his lobbyists, and their clients, including supporting legislation at Abramoff's request and contacting executive branch agencies to influence those agencies at Abramoff's request.

"Heaton also admitted that he and Ney accepted thousands of dollars worth of gambling chips from a foreign businessman who was hoping to sell U.S.-made airplanes and airplane parts in a foreign country. Heaton admitted that he helped Ney conceal some of the money Ney had received, storing the money for Ney in a safe in Ney's Congressional Office and periodically opening the safe at Ney's request so that Ney could withdraw funds.

"These cases are being prosecuted by trial attorneys Mary K. Butler, M. Kendall Day, and James A. Crowell IV of the Public Integrity Section, headed by Acting Section Chief Edward C. Nucci of the Criminal Division. The case was investigated by a task force of federal agents including special agents of the FBI, the Department of the Interior Office of the Inspector General, the General Services Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the Criminal Investigation branch of the Internal Revenue Service. The investigation has received assistance from the U.S.
Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The broader
investigation into the lobbying activities of Jack Abramoff is being
conducted by federal agents from the above-named agencies as well as prosecutors in the Public Integrity and Fraud sections of the Criminal Division and prosecutors in the Criminal Tax Section of the Tax Division."

Chillicothe Mayor Joe Sulzer: Ney Got Off Easy

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- Mayor Joe Sulzer, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully in the OH-18 primary last year, says former GOP Congressman Bob Ney should have to spend more than 30 months in a federal prison. He said a stretch like the eight-year term corrupt California ex-Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham is serving would be appropriate.

Sulzer also told Jona Isom of the Chillicothe Gazette that he would end Ney's congressional pension and benefits. ''What's unfortunate about all of this is that he'll still walk away with all of his benefits from Congress. The taxpayers will continue to provide for him." Sulzer said politicians would ''think twice" about engaging in corrupt activities if they lost all. "Hit them in the benefits and that's what really hurts," Sulzer said.

Sulzer lost to Rep. Zack Space. Isom's story about Chillicothe's reaction to Ney's conviction is HERE. It's offers a good small town perspective. The Cental Ohio city's Web site is HERE.

This is the latest on Ney from CNN.