Neil Volz
Encyclopedia
Neil Volz was Chief of Staff to Representative Bob Ney
(R-Ohio), staff director of the House Administration Committee, and later part of Team Abramoff
, when he left Capitol Hill in February 2002 to work for Abramoff at Greenberg Traurig
LLP. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, including wire fraud and violating House rules, charges stemming from his work both for Ney and for Greenberg Traurig. In 2007 he was sentenced to two years probation, 100 hours community service, and a fine of $2,000, much less than maximum of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines, due to his cooperation with prosecutors. Volz provided evidence against Ney and William Heaton
and testified against David Safavian
. After Volz's testimony in the Safavian trial, United States District Court Judge Paul Friedman said he felt like he "needed to take a shower," reflecting Volz's malodorous ethics.
Abramoff's plea agreement details his practice of hiring former congressional staffers, including Volz (who is identified as "Staffer B"). Abramoff used these persons' influence to lobby their former Congressional employers, in violation of a one-year federal ban on such lobbying. Three days after Abramoff's plea, Volz resigned from another lobbying firm, Barnes & Thornburg
.
While Volz was Ney's chief of staff, "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."
Bloomberg News described Volz's plea agreement:
Volz received abusive phone messages from Ney because he suspected Volz was cooperating with the prosecution. Volz turned those messages over, which would have been used against Ney if he had gone to trial.
Neil Volz is currently working as a night janitor at a Florida restaurant.
Bob Ney
Robert William Ney is an American politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. A Republican, Ney represented Ohio's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 until November 3, 2006, when he resigned...
(R-Ohio), staff director of the House Administration Committee, and later part of Team Abramoff
Team Abramoff
"Team Abramoff" is the team of lobbyists assembled by Jack Abramoff when he worked at Greenberg Traurig, primarily of former aides to prominent Congressional politicians...
, when he left Capitol Hill in February 2002 to work for Abramoff at Greenberg Traurig
Greenberg Traurig
Greenberg Traurig LLP and Greenberg Traurig PA is an international law firm based in Miami, Florida.The firm has approximately 1,800 attorneys and governmental professionals in 32 locations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Its founding office is in Miami, Florida with its largest office in...
LLP. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, including wire fraud and violating House rules, charges stemming from his work both for Ney and for Greenberg Traurig. In 2007 he was sentenced to two years probation, 100 hours community service, and a fine of $2,000, much less than maximum of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines, due to his cooperation with prosecutors. Volz provided evidence against Ney and William Heaton
William Heaton
William Heaton is the former chief of staff for former Rep. Bob Ney , and a supporting figure in the Abramoff scandal.-Education:...
and testified against David Safavian
David Safavian
David Hossein Safavian is a former chief of staff of the United States General Services Administration and a figure in the Jack Abramoff lobbying and corruption scandal....
. After Volz's testimony in the Safavian trial, United States District Court Judge Paul Friedman said he felt like he "needed to take a shower," reflecting Volz's malodorous ethics.
Abramoff's plea agreement details his practice of hiring former congressional staffers, including Volz (who is identified as "Staffer B"). Abramoff used these persons' influence to lobby their former Congressional employers, in violation of a one-year federal ban on such lobbying. Three days after Abramoff's plea, Volz resigned from another lobbying firm, Barnes & Thornburg
Barnes & Thornburg
Barnes & Thornburg LLP is a large U.S. law firm and lobbying group. It is currently the largest law firm in the state of Indiana, and 97th largest in the United States...
.
While Volz was Ney's chief of staff, "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."
Bloomberg News described Volz's plea agreement:
In court documents filed as part of Volz's plea agreement, prosecutors said that he and others at Greenberg Traurig offered trips, tickets to sporting events and numerous meals at Abramoff's restaurants to Ney. In 2003, Volz paid for part of a two-night trip to the Sagamore Resort in Lake George, New York, for Ney and members of his staff, prosecutors said.
Ney, for his part, agreed to help Abramoff clients with acts such as inserting language into legislation that would lift a gaming ban hurting one of the tribes, prosecutors said. The court documents also describe conversations in which Volz told Ney what Abramoff wanted him to say in meetings with the tribal client.
Volz received abusive phone messages from Ney because he suspected Volz was cooperating with the prosecution. Volz turned those messages over, which would have been used against Ney if he had gone to trial.
Neil Volz is currently working as a night janitor at a Florida restaurant.
| Pled guilty | Sentenced | Sentence | Started serving | Current location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2006 | September 12, 2007 | 24 months probation, 100 hours community service, $2,000 | N/A |
External links
- "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.
- John Byrne, "New ties link House GOP leadership with lobbyist Abramoff," The Raw Story (Beware of This page catch), March 29, 2005.
- James V. Grimaldi, "Lobbyists, Clients Undeterred by Scandal. Alumni of Abramoff's 'Team' Still Collecting Fees, Trying to Influence Government," Washington Post, June 26, 2005.
- "Choctaws hire three ex-Abramoff lobbyists," Indianz.com, June 27, 2005.
- 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.
- "Lobbyist linked to Abramoff quits Indianapolis firm," Associated Press (IndyStar.com), January 23, 2006.
- "Former Aide to Rep. Ney Pleads Guilty", Associated Press, May 8, 2006.
- Copy of the Federal Indictment
- Copy of Volz's "Factual Proffer"
- Volz Points Finger at Ney by Paul Kiel, TPMMuckraker, May 8, 2006