Top Aide to former Rep. Bob Ney Pleads Guilty

ABC News’ Jason Ryan and Jennifer Duck Report:  Convicted former Congressman Bob Ney’s one-time Chief of Staff pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges this afternoon.

Will Heaton, 28, worked for Ney from 2001 to 2006. At age 23, he became the youngest chief of staff on Capitol Hill when he succeeded Neil Volz in February of 2002.  Volz later pleaded guilty to conspiracy in May 2006, and Ney was sentenced to 30 months in prison earlier this year.

Heaton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate honest services for accepting favors and numerous items of value in return for using his official position to help the business ventures of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and one of his clients, identified to ABC as Fouad Al Zayat, a Syrian born businessman who lives in London.  Heaton also pleaded guilty to charges stating he sought to obtain a US visa for Zayat.

Among the lavish items Heaton accepted while working for Ney are an August 2002 golf trip to Scotland with Ney, Abramoff, Ralph Reed and other staffers of then-Congressman Ney.

Abramoff made campaign contributions to Ney, seeking in return favorable legislation for a Native American tribe that Mr. Abramoff represented. Abramoff also took Ney and his staffers on trips to New Orleans, Lake George, New York and also paid for numerous meals, drinks and tickets to sporting events.

On a 2002 trip to London, Zayat provided Ney with thousands of dollars of gambling chips at a casino. Ney and Heaton returned to the US with the chips, neglecting to report their monetary value to US Customs.

In a statement, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division Chip Burrus said, “No corrupt public servant is exempt from FBI scrutiny.  We will continue to pursue those like Will Heaton who sell their integrity at the public’s expense.”

Heaton could face a maximum of 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.