US News
Lawmaker resigns after pleading guilty in corruption probe
By DPA
Nov 4, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Washington - A Republican lawmaker who pleaded guilty last month to be to being corrupted by a now-disgraced lobbyist resigned from the US Congress on Friday.

Bob Ney, who represented Ohio in House of Representatives submitted his resignation to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert on Friday afternoon, Ney's chief of staff told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The resignation was effective immediately, David Popp, Ney's chief of staff, confirmed in an e-mail message.

Ney, 52, was the first member of Congress to admit guilt in a long-running criminal probe centred on Jack Abramoff, who allegedly showered favours on lawmakers to influence legislation on behalf of his clients.

He faces up to 10 years in prison at his January 19 sentencing.

Republican leaders in the House of Representatives had threatened to expel Ney if he fails to resign his seat quickly.

He is the second powerful Republican lawmaker ensnared by the Abramoff scandal after former House majority leader Tom DeLay, who had close ties to the lobbyist, gave up his seat in June after being indicted in a campaign financing probe.

Ney admitted that he corruptly accepted trips, meals, concert and sport tickets and tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funding from Abramoff and his lobbyists, the US Justice Department said.

In return, Ney took steps to influence the legislative process and a contract bid to benefit Abramoff's clients.

Ney has been in Congress since 1995 for Ohio, traditionally a swing state in US elections.