Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.latimes.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Former Senate Official Pleads Guilty to Conflict of Interest Date: Fri, 20 Nov 92 06:36:51 EST Message-ID: HEADLINE: Former Senate Official Pleads Guilty to Conflict of Interest Publication Date: Thursday November 19, 1992 BYLINE: Henry K. Giugni, the Senate sergeant-at-arms from 1987-90, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge that he violated a conflict-of-interest law while a Senate official. Appearing in U.S. district court, Giugni admitted accepting a first-class, $2,722 Washington-to-Honolulu, round-trip airline ticket from American Telephone & Telegraph Co. in 1988. Three weeks earlier, he had requested installation of an AT&T telephone system for the Capitol Police. Giugni was on the Police Board, which has overall supervision of Congress' police force. The statute carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine and an additional year of court-supervised release. Sentencing was set for Jan. 29. Giugni was charged by the U.S. attorney's office with accepting the ticket "as compensation . . . for representational services rendered and to be rendered . . . before the United States Senate." On June 6, 1988, Giugni wrote the chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration for "approval to purchase and install" the new telephone system, according to papers filed by Assistant U.S. Atty. Robert R. Chapman. The system was installed. However, the plea agreement said no impropriety was found in the procurement process for the $219,000 system. Further, it said neither Giugni nor the AT&T official who offered the airline ticket was aware of the contract when the trip was first discussed. This article is copyright 1992 The Los Angeles Times Home Edition. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM