Tony C. Rudy, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and former associate of Jack Abramoff, was charged today with a conspiracy to defraud tribal and non-tribal clients and to bribe at least one member of Congress.He pleaded guilty at a court hearing in Washington, D.C., this morning.

According to a charge of information in federal court, Rudy accepted "money and other things of value" from Abramoff while he worked for DeLay. He received tickets to sporting events, meals, gifts and golf trips while performing "official acts" for Abramoff and Abramoff's clients, the document states.

"To conceal his relationship with Abramoff and others, defendant Rudy failed to disclose, in violation of the Rules of the House of Representatives, various things of value he received from Abramoff and others," federal prosecutors wrote.

After he left Congress to work with Abramoff, the conspiracy continued, according to the charge. It accuses Rudy of providing "things of value to public officials to ensure favorable action and other assistance for their clients when needed."

The papers cite "Representative #1" -- otherwise known as Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), who received a golf trip to Scotland, food and drink at Abramoff's now-closed restaurant, and tickets to sporting events and concerts. In exchange, Ney agreed to take official action to benefit Abramoff's clients, the document states. One action was legislation to reopen two tribal casinos in Texas.

The charge also cites "Representative #2" -- otherwise known as DeLay. According to the information, Rudy sought to influence DeLay into taking official actions on behalf of his clients at the Greenberg Traurig firm. He was able to convince DeLay to write a letter to a government official opposing a postal rate increase affecting one of his clients and to support two separate pieces of legislation, according to court papers.

Throughout this time period, Rudy was associated with a company called Liberty Consulting that he helped create and that employed his wife. The firm received a total of $86,000 in payments from Abramoff while Rudy still worked for the House. The firm also took payments from unnamed tribe for services that were apparently never performed, the charge states.

Rudy is being represented by Laura Ariane Miller, an attorney at the Nixon Peabody law firm. He is the closest person to DeLay to be charged in connection with a widening corruption probe that has targeted several members of Congress.

The case is before Judge Ellen S. Huvelle, who handled Abramoff's guilty plea as well as the guilty plea of Michael Scanlon, another former DeLay aide. Rudy is due to return to court on July 11.

While at Greenberg Traurig, Rudy represented a number of tribes. His clients included the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan, Sandia Pueblo in New Mexico, the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota and the Hopi Tribe.

The charge of information can be read here: http://www.indianz.com/docs/abramoff/tonyrudy033106.pdf. The Deparment of Justice's factual proffer is at http://www.indianz.com/docs/abramoff/tonycrudy033106b.pdf.

Related Story:
Ex-DeLay Aide Pleads Guilty (The Washington Post 3/31)

Relevant Links:
Rep. Tom DeLay - http://tomdelay.house.gov

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