Ann Copland, a former aide to Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi), pleaded guilty on Tuesday for her role in the Jack Abramoff scandal.

Copland, 52, admitted she accepted $25,000 to $30,000 in gifts from Abramoff and his associates. In exchange, she did legislative favors for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Abramoff's biggest client.

"From 2002 through 2004, Copland worked as an assistant on legislative and administrative matters, particularly those legislative matters involving Native American tribes," the Department of Justice said in a press release.

Copland pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to commit honest services fraud. She faces between 10 months to 16 months in prison, the Associated Press reported.

Get the Story:
Ex-Cochran aide pleads guilty in corruption probe (AP 3/10)
Ex-Cochran Staffer Admits Guilt as Part of Abramoff Probe (The Wall Street Journal 3/10)
Ex-Cochran Aide Pleads Guilty in Abramoff Probe (The Blog of Legal Times 3/10)
E-mail cited in case against former Senate aide (AP 3/10)

Relevant Documents:
US v. Copland (February 19, 2009)

Related Stories:
Former Senate staffer charged in Abramoff scandal (2/23)
E-mails disclose stream of gifts to ex-Senate staffer (2/11)
Ex-staffer linked to Abramoff took two salaries (1/30)
Another former Abramoff associate charged (1/29)