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Italia Federici, who prosecutors said former Interior Department official Steven Griles had a ''personal, and at times, romantic relationship'' with, introduced Griles to Abramoff, from 1998 to 2003. Federici runs a Republican advocacy group, NBC News reported.
Griles pleaded guilty in March to a single felony charge of obstructing justice by lying to a Senate committee. The former No. 2 official in the Interior Department admitted in federal court that he lied to Senate investigators about his relationship with Abramoff. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to propose no more than a 10-month prison sentence for Griles -- the minimum they could ask for under sentencing guidelines. Griles sentencing is set for June 26, NBC News reported.
The Justice Department notified Federici in January that she was the target of a federal probe and could face five charges in relation to her dealings with Abramoff, NBC News reported.
Thursday, the Justice Department in a criminal information charged her with two counts. They allege she evaded paying taxes by failing to maintain proper financial books and records bank and business accounts of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy ("CREA") the group which she founded, NBC News reported.
- New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants
Posted June 12th, 2007 by Alla
