Washington – Former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles pleaded guilty Friday to one felony count of obstruction of justice for lying to a Senate committee about his ties to jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Griles, a 59-year-old former oil and gas lobbyist, is now the highest Bush administration official convicted in the Abramoff scandal. From 2001 to 2005, he was the No.2 man at the Interior Department under former Secretary Gale Norton.
Appearing in federal court in Washington, D.C., Griles apologized for misleading the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in October and November 2005 about the nature of his relationship with Abramoff. Griles told committee investigators then that Abramoff was “no different than any other lobbyist,” when in fact Abramoff had direct access to Griles, according to the plea.
“When a Senate committee asks questions, they must be answered fully and completely and it is not my place to decide whether those questions are relevant or too personal,” Griles said in a statement.
According to federal prosecutors, Abramoff gained unique access to Griles through Italia Federici, a Republican environmental activist referred to as “person A” in court documents. Federici, who worked in Colorado as a campaign aide for Norton’s unsuccessful 1996 U.S. Senate bid, introduced the two men on March 1, 2001.
Abramoff then used his connection to Griles to convince his Indian casino clients that he had special ties to the department and influenced them to pay $500,000 to a tax-exempt organization co-founded by Federici and Norton and supported by Griles.
Abramoff is serving a 70-month prison term after pleading guilty in 2006 to fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion.
Under the terms of Griles’ plea agreement, federal prosecutors said they would recommend a 10-month sentence, with only half of that time served in prison. The maximum he could face at his sentencing, set for June 26, is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Norton, who now works as a general counsel for Royal Dutch Shell, said through Shell press secretary Jill Davis that it would be “inappropriate” for her to comment.
Justice Department officials, meanwhile, vowed to continue investigating other officials in the Abramoff scandal, including former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas and former Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana. Eight other individuals already have been convicted in the Abramoff probe.
