Federici Charged in Abramoff Probe
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WASHINGTON — The head of a Republican environmental advocacy group was charged yesterday with tax evasion and obstructing a Senate inquiry as part of the Jack Abramoff corruption probe.
Italia Federici was named in a two-count criminal information, a document that normally indicates a guilty plea has been negotiated. A hearing was set for tomorrow, the Justice Department said.
Ms. Federici served as a go-between for Abramoff, the once-powerful lobbyist, and J. Steven Griles, who was deputy interior secretary during President Bush’s first term, prosecutors said.
Ms. Federici is accused of lying to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which in 2005 was investigating Abramoff’s dealings with officials in the Interior Department.
In March, Griles became the highest-ranking Bush administration official convicted in the lobbying scandal.
