Judge denies request to put ex-House aide in jail

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Judge denies request to put ex-House aide in jail
By NEDRA PICKLER , 04.07.11, 09:44 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- A judge on Thursday spared from prison time a former congressional aide involved in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and questioned why lawmakers were able to avoid prosecution while their staffers are paying the price for influence-peddling schemes.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle rejected prosecutors' recommendation that the top aide to former Oklahoma Republican Rep. Ernest Istook spend more than two years behind bars. Istook's former chief of staff John Albaugh admitted helping steer funding to Abramoff's clients after his firm helped raise campaign donations for Istook.

Instead, Huvelle sentenced Albaugh to five years' probation and four months in a halfway house in his adopted hometown of Colorado Springs, Colo., where he works for a nonprofit called Morning Star Development. She said a fine and community service weren't necessary after Albaugh, a father of three who once made six figures on Capitol Hill, told Huvelle he made $24,000 last year helping the group that provides aide in Afghanistan with fundraising and communications.

Albaugh told Huvelle it pains him deeply to think about the "corrupt" methods he used to try to help Istook's career ambitions. He said Istook told him he wanted to run for the Senate and they discussed how they would need to raise a lot of money for such a bid. Albaugh said lobbyists were an obvious source of funding and that the Abramoff team was particularly aggressive, raising tens of thousands of dollars and using the firm's luxury boxes to host fundraisers for Istook.



Read more: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/04/07/general-us-congressional-aide-sentencing_8397556.html

[Bound by Honor]

1. I'd do a probation check every single day...

I know a few federal probation officers here... I wonder if I could nudge them to do an unannounced inspection...