Breaking: Abramoff Associate Kevin Ring found guilty of 5 counts in bribery case

Abramoff Associate Kevin Ring found guilty of 5 counts in bribery case

Ring found guilty of 5 counts in bribery case

Abramoff associate convicted of 5 counts in corruption case, not guilty of 3 in retrial

NEDRA PICKLER
AP News

Nov 15, 2010 17:35 EST


A jury convicted an associate of corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff on Monday of bribing public officials with expensive meals and exclusive event tickets.

Kevin Ring was found guilty on five counts and not guilty on three others in a second trial, after a first jury could not agree on a verdict.

Ring was the only lobbyist charged in the sweeping investigation who took his case to court. Others, including Abramoff, pleaded guilty in deals with prosecutors.

Ring was found guilty of conspiracy, honest services fraud and giving an illegal gratuity to an aide of former Attorney General John Ashcroft. The 40-year-old former Republican congressional aide from Kensington, Md., showed no emotion in response, and neither he nor the attorneys commented on the verdict.

Jurors deliberated for three days after a two-week trial. Ring's lawyers argued he was only doing his job as a lobbyist by trying to build relationships with federal officials who had sway over issues affecting his clients. Several jurors said in interviews after leaving the courtroom that they didn't know much about how lobbying worked before the case, but prosecutors convinced them he crossed the line.

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