David Safavian, the former Bush Administration official who was convicted for the second time in December for lying and obstruction of justice in the Jack Abramoff probe, was sentenced today to a year and a day in prison, the Washington Post reports.
Safavian, who was chief of staff at the General Services Administration, was also convicted of lying on a financial disclosure form about the costs of Abramoff’s famous 2002 golf junket to Scotland, which Safavian attended.
The Post reports that Safavian, whose wife is pregnant, made a plea for leniency to the judge today:
Safavian and his wife, Jennifer, begged Friedman for leniency during a hearing Friday in the District’s federal court, saying their family had suffered enough without having to endure a prison sentence. They are bankrupt, Safavian will lose his law license and he will be barred from ever contracting with the government, they said. …
Friedman said he agreed that a prison term was appropriate and that “a light bulb should have gone on” in Safavian’s mind that his dealings with Abramoff were questionable. The judge said he would allow Safavian to wait until after his child is born to enter prison.
The sentencing marks a victory for prosecutors, just a day after a judge declared a mistrial in the bribery case of Abramoff associate Kevin Ring.
As Josh pointed out in a blog today, it appears that Safavian is now practicing law as chief counsel for CPAC. Did he ever lose his law license, and, if so, how did he get it back?