Former Hill staffer to plead guilty in Abramoff probe

Mark Zachares, a former aide to Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), will plead guilty to corruption charges for accepting gifts from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Zachares worked for Young on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. During his two years there, he accepted $30,000 in sporting tickets, a trip to Scotland and $10,000 in cash from Abramoff.

According to a plea agreement, Zachares and Abramoff came up with a "two-year plan." Zachares would use his position to help Abramoff's clients with the understanding that he would join Abramoff's law/lobbying firm.

Zachares is the 11th person to plead guilty as part of the probe. Another former Bush administration official was convicted by a jury.

Get the Story:
Former Hill Staffer to Plead Guilty in Abramoff Probe (The Washington Post 4/24)
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Ex-aide for Young is charged (The Anchorage Daily News 4/24)
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Former aide to Young likely to plead guilty (The Hill 4/23)
Ex-aide to plead guilty in ethics probe (AP 4/23)

Relevant Documents:
US v. Zachares (April 23, 2007)

Senate Finance Committee Democratic Report:
Text Only | Response to Democratic Staff | Investigation of Jack Abramoff's Use of Tax-Exempt Organizations (October 12, 2006) Note: 18.3MB file may be slow to load.

Senate Finance Committee Materials:
Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy | Americans for Tax Reform | National Center for Public Policy Research | Citizens Against Government Waste | Toward Tradition | News Article Clippings

House Government Reform Committee Documents:
Report | Billing Records Spreadsheet | Attachment 1 | Attachment 2 | Press Release

Senate Indian Affairs Committee Abramoff Report:
'GIMME FIVE' INVESTIGATION OF TRIBAL LOBBYING MATTERS (June 2006)

Exhibits:
Pre-2001 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | Undated | Finance

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