Ex-aide to plead guilty in ethics probe

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal has ensnared a former congressional staffer who is expected to admit accepting $40,000 worth of money and tickets to sporting events and concerts in exchange for assisting Abramoff.

The Justice Department filed a felony information charging Mark Zachares with conspiracy. Zachares' lawyer, Edward MacMahon, said his client will enter a guilty plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington.

Abramoff and his lobbying team supplied Zachares with tickets on more than 40 occasions from August 2002 to February 2004, says a 10-page document filed in the case.

Zachares also received, according to the court papers, $10,000 in wire transfers from Abramoff in January and February 2002 through a nonprofit foundation the lobbyist controlled.

Zachares worked for the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, providing Abramoff contact information for prospective businesses that would be affected by the creation of the Homeland Security Department, the court papers stated.

In addition, Zachares went on an August 2003 golfing trip to Scotland with Abramoff and six others including Rep. Tom Feeney (news, bio, voting record), R-Fla.

The cost of the trip was more than $160,000 for private jet service, luxury hotel accommodations, twice-daily golf at St. Andrews and other famous courses, meals, drinks and local transportation, states the document that federal prosecutors filed in court.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070423/ap_on_go_co/abramoff_zachares [link]