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WASHINGTON — The Justice Department overreached in prosecuting a former Bush administration official in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, a federal appeals court said Tuesday as it dismissed some charges and ordered a new trial on others.
The decision overturns the conviction of David Safavian, the former chief of staff for the General Services Administration and the only person in the four-year scandal who opted to go to trial rather than accept a government plea deal.
The ruling also forces prosecutors to decide whether to bring a new case or accept defeat.
Safavian was convicted of lying to Senate investigators, GSA ethics officials and the agency’s inspector general about his relationship with Abramoff.
