The Justice Department overreached in prosecuting a former Bush administration official in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, a federal appeals court said Tuesday as it dismissed some charges and ordered a new trial on others.The decision overturns the conviction of David Safavian, the former chief of staff for the General Services Administration and the only person in the four-year scandal who opted to go to trial rather than accept a government plea deal. He had faced 18 months in prison.
The ruling also forces prosecutors to decide whether to bring a new case or accept defeat in what had been an early victory in the corruption investigation.
Safavian was convicted of lying to Senate investigators, GSA ethics officials and the agency's inspector general about his relationship with Abramoff. The lobbyist was interested in government-owned properties and Safavian provided inside information about them.
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