Witness for the Prosecution
Italia Federici, one-time president of a Republican environmental group, provided the government "substantial assistance" in sending former Interior deputy secretary J. Steven Griles to jail for 10 months earlier this year, according to a filing today by the Justice Department. In return, federal prosecutors are recommending that she be punished with home detention instead of jail when she is sentenced this Friday for tax evasion and obstructing a congressional investigation.
Federici has spent more than 100 hours with investigators providing information in the ongoing probe of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his relationship to Griles and others at Interior and in Congress. Federici, 38, served as a conduit for information between Abramoff, who had his tribal clients fund her group, and Griles, with whom she was linked romantically. Their activities originally came to light in a Post story about their efforts to scuttle an Indian casino in Louisiana that threatened to compete with one of Abramoff's clients.
Federici has provided information on "a wide range of persons and topics" and "performed meaningful research at the investigators' behest," says a sentencing memo filed today by the government. Robert Jared Carpenter, a co-worker at the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, is to be sentenced Friday as well. Their non-profit group was founded in the 1990s by former Interior Secretary Gale Norton and anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist.
By The Editors |
December 11, 2007; 7:00 PM ET
Abramoff Scandal
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Posted by: | December 11, 2007 8:29 PM
How come under every rock you find Grover Norquist? Do we have a Justice Dept? John McCain found proof that Norquist money-laundered with Abramoff in the Indian Affairs hearings. The woman written of here was as evasive a witness as can be in televised hearings. I hope she had a beautiful singing voice.
Posted by: SamEllison | December 11, 2007 9:59 PM
Why is Grover Norquist still running around a free man? This man- unelected- has wielded more destructive power in our country than even Karl Rove. Look under every corrupt situation in the last en years and you will see the fine hand of Mr. Norquist.
Posted by: | December 12, 2007 9:03 AM
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bunch of crooks