Neil Volz
Neil Volz was Representative Bob Ney's (R-Ohio) chief of staff "when Jack Abramoff had Ney insert a provision into an unrelated bill that would re-open the Tigua Indian Tribe's casino. Volz was Abramoff's chief point of contact during this effort, and soon thereafter Volz left Ney's office and went to work [early in 2002] for Jack Abramoff, where he immediately began to work as a lobbyist in violation of the one-year ban on lobbying after leaving the House of Representatives." [1][2]
Bribery Charges Pending
Ney and his former chief of staff Neil Volz have already been told by prosecutors "that they are preparing a possible bribery case against them, according to two sources knowledgeable about the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity," Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi reported in the November 26, 2005, Washington Post.
"Ney is the congressman whose name has surfaced most prominently in the Abramoff investigation. His spokesman and attorney have said for weeks that Ney has not been told he is a target of the inquiry, even while acknowledging that his office has received a grand jury subpoena and that his activities were mentioned in [Michael] Scanlon's plea agreement."
Sources said that "during the third week of October," prosecutors told Ney and Volz "that they were preparing a bribery case based in part on activities that occurred in October 2000. Abramoff and another business partner, Adam Kidan, were also told that they are targets in that case, the sources said.
"The five-year statute of limitations for filing charges based on those events expired last month; the prosecutors sought and received a waiver of the deadline from all four men while they continue their investigation, the sources said. Prosecutors are often able to obtain such waivers by giving the targets a choice of being indicted right away or granting more time to see if information might surface that exonerates them," Schmidt and Grimaldi wrote.
External Links
Profiles
- Profile: Neil Volz, Jack in the House.org.
Articles & Commentary
- "Former Ney chief of staff worked with Abramoff," Indianz.com, November 19, 2004.
- Susan Schmidt and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, "Tribal Money Linked to GOP Fundraising. Skybox Events Were Not Always Reported to FEC," Washington Post, December 26, 2004.
- Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi, "Lawmakers Under Scrutiny in Probe of Lobbyist. Ney and DeLay Among the Members of Congress Said to Be a Focus of Abramoff Investigation," Washington Post, November 26, 2005.
