Former official gets 10 months in Abramoff case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A high-ranking Bush administration official was sentenced to 10 months in prison on Tuesday for lying to Congress as it investigated a bribery scandal centered on lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Steven Griles, who served as the No. 2 Interior Department official between 2001 and 2005, had hoped to serve his sentence at home working for a charity sponsored by Walt Disney Co. and several outdoor-equipment makers.

But Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle said Griles had refused to take responsibility for his actions and imposed a sentence tougher than the one sought by prosecutors.

"Even now, you continue to minimize and try to excuse your conduct and the nature of your misstatements," Huvelle said.

Griles, 59, is the highest-ranking Bush administration official convicted in the wide-ranging bribery scandal centered around Abramoff.

Griles pleaded guilty in March to lying to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee as it examined Abramoff's clout in the Interior Department.

Abramoff is serving a six-year prison sentence and cooperating with investigators.

Griles was introduced to Abramoff by Griles' sometime girlfriend, Italia Federici, shortly before he started at Interior. Federici has also pleaded guilty to obstructing Congress.

Federici acted as a go-between for the two men as they worked together to influence Interior Department actions that affected Abramoff's Indian-tribe clients, Justice Department lawyers said.

In return, Abramoff offered Griles a lucrative job and directed money to Federici's charity at Griles' request, the government said.

Griles would have faced multiple felonies if he had not accepted a plea deal, Justice Department trial attorney Armando Bonilla said.

Griles' lawyer said he did not intentionally lie to the Indian Affairs Committee and was being unfairly punished for working with a lobbyist whose name has become synonymous with corruption.

"The stench of Jack Abramoff is everywhere and they claim Mr. Griles suffers from that because he dealt with him as a lobbyist," defense attorney Barry Hartman said.

A tearful Griles told Huvelle that he never asked Abramoff to contribute to Federici's charity, and said she only brought up his concerns "two or three" times.

Griles is not the only official to serve prison time in the Abramoff probe.

Former Republican Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio is serving a 30-month prison sentence for accepting bribes, while former Bush administration procurement official David Safavian has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for lying and obstructing justice during the investigation.