Paper: Conservative Think Tanker Is Investigation Target

And another one of Gale Norton’s former colleagues falls. This time, it’s Italia Federici, the founder of a conservative environmental group that served as Jack Abramoff’s gateway to the Interior Department.

Legal Times reports that Federici received a target letter from investigators in January. Target letters are frequently a warning of an indictment.

Federici’s ex-boyfriend, Steven Griles, formerly the #2 at the Interior Department, also received a target letter in January. And he pled guilty last month to lying to Congressional investigators about his relationship with Federici and Abramoff.

Federici ran a nonprofit called the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA), a conservative think tank, which she founded with Gale Norton, who became Bush’s Secretary of the Interior. As a result, Federici was well connected in the Interior Department. So she and Abramoff had a deal. Abramoff’s clients pumped $500,000 into her organization; in return, she ensured that people inside the department knew about his tribal clients’ needs.

As Legal Times reports, investigators are considering pursuing Federici on a number of charges:

According to the Jan. 19 target letter filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, investigators are looking at whether Federici violated five statutes in connection with running the group: conspiracy to defraud the United States, tax evasion, impeding the Internal Revenue Service, and obstructing proceedings and making false statements before the Senate. The letter makes no mention of Abramoff or Griles.

Federal officials also informed Federici that they believe she “may have assisted others in depriving the American Public of honest services of at least one administration official,” the letter states.

The letter advised Federici to seek an attorney and asked if she would be willing to plead guilty and cooperate with investigators. Whether she is currently cooperating or played a role in Griles’ plea is unknown.

It appears to have been a long, hard fall from Federici, who was once wined and dined by Abramoff. According to the Legal Times, Federici has applied for representation by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.