Ohio congressman failed to report tribe’s donation

Malia Rulon

Thursday, April 21, 2005 | 9:47 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, held a campaign fund raiser at a Washington Wizards basketball game two years ago but failed to report the use of a $1,500 luxury suite leased to an Indian tribe, according to amended campaign finance reports filed this week.

The event at the MCI Center in downtown Washington was hosted by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians of Banning, Calif., which operates a casino, resort and spa near Palm Springs.

Ney's campaign committee neglected to reimburse the tribe for renting the suite -- valued at about $1,500 -- or report the use of the suite as an in-kind contribution, as required by federal election law.

"This was nothing more than an honest mistake by a campaign worker," Ney's spokesman, Brian Walsh, said Wednesday. "It's been corrected and the proper forms have been filed."

Ney's report that covers the Feb. 4, 2003, game between the Wizards and the Cleveland Cavaliers was updated to include the suite rental as an in-kind contribution in 10 amended filings Tuesday and Wednesday with the Federal Elections Commission.

The amendments were made in response to an inquiry by the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call.

Ney's campaign previously had reported campaign credit card bills that included the cost of catering the event, Walsh said. He said he was not able to provide an exact amount for how much the event cost or how much it raised.

The Morongo tribe made three contributions last year totaling $5,914 to the American Liberty PAC, a political action committee controlled by Ney. Tribe lobbyist Scott Dacey contributed $500 to the PAC. Dacey confirmed that the tribe hosted the event.

Ney, chairman of the House Administration Committee, previously has been connected to Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is being investigated by a grand jury and two Senate committees for charging several Indian tribes $80 million to represent casino interests.

Abramoff is not connected to the Morongo tribe, Dacey said.