Former top Labor official charged in Abramoff investigation

The former chief of staff at the Labor Department's Employment Standards Administration has been indicted on corruption charges related to his dealings with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Horace M. Cooper, 44, of Lorton, Va., was charged on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with two counts of making a false statement on financial disclosure forms, and one count each of conspiracy, fraudulent concealment and obstructing a grand jury investigation by making false statements to federal investigators.

If convicted of all charges, Cooper faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. He is scheduled to appear in court next on Sept. 9.

The indictment alleged that Cooper accepted thousands of dollars' worth of free meals and concert and sporting tickets in exchange for providing assistance to Abramoff and his clients.

Prosecutors said Cooper, who appears regularly on cable television, newspapers and conservative Web sites as a commentator, failed to report those gifts on his annual financial disclosure forms and then lied about them to investigators.

Cooper's Washington attorney, Solomon Wisenberg said in a statement that his client was innocent and would challenge the charges in court.

"We are very disappointed that the Department of Justice has decided to go forward with these charges," Wisenberg said. "Mr. Cooper will fight these charges vigorously and looks forward to his day in court."

Abramoff was sentenced in September 2008 to 48 months in prison as part of a larger fraud and conspiracy scheme and is cooperating in the investigation.

Cooper, who joined the Employment Standards Administration in 2002, allegedly used his position during his nearly three-year tenure to help CNMI Garment Manufacturer, a Mariana Islands company and an Abramoff client, with a Labor investigation into its wage and hour practices. The indictment also claimed Cooper inquired to colleagues within the department about the process for removing a "renegade attorney" involved in the CNMI investigation.

He hosted a meeting in his office with a representative from CNMI and "reaffirmed his commitment" to assist the company. "Cooper never disclosed to his supervisors or other U.S. Department of Labor officials involved in the CNMI Garment Manufacturer matter that he was hosting this meeting with an adverse party," the indictment said.

In exchange for his assistance, Abramoff lavished Cooper with meals and tickets for concerts and sporting events.

Labor directed all inquiries on the indictment to the inspector generals' office, which declined to comment.

According to prosecutors, Cooper met Abramoff in 1996 while working as a legislative counsel to former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, and soon began accepting gifts from the lobbyist, including tickets to see the Washington Redskins, and concert seats for the Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen and 'N Sync. In return, Abramoff reportedly lobbied Cooper on issues related to his clients.

The relationship apparently continued when Cooper moved to the executive branch in late 2001 to serve as chief of staff for Voice of America, a government-run news organization.

Prosecutors claimed that Cooper assisted Abramoff in securing approximately $10 million to $15 million in federal funding from VOA and the State Department for the lobbyist's new television production business.

During that same time period, Cooper reportedly accepted thousands of dollars' worth of complimentary meals and gifts from Abramoff.

On one occasion, Cooper apparently was charged $141 for a meal. He reportedly complained to Abramoff, who then instructed his restaurant associates in an e-mail that "I did not want [Cooper] charged for meals where he is paying. I am doing a huge deal with [Cooper] and want to comp [him]. Can you have this credited and make sure we don't charge [Cooper] in the future?"

VOA did not respond to a request for comment.