Arizona lawmaker indicted by feds

WASHINGTON – Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., used his position in Congress to influence a federal land-exchange deal, collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in payoffs, according to an indictment released Friday.

The 35-count indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in Tucson, Ariz., also accuses Renzi of separately embezzling corporate funds to bankroll his first House campaign.

The indictment makes Renzi the fourth sitting lawmaker to face federal charges since 2005 in the Justice Department’s continuing crackdown on public corruption, and it represents a fresh blow to congressional Republicans struggling with numerous allegations of ethical wrongdoing in their ranks.

Renzi joins convicted GOP Reps. Randy “Duke” Cunningham of California and Robert Ney of Ohio, as well as Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana, who is awaiting trial on bribery charges, as targets of Justice Department prosecution.

Renzi, who was indicted along with two alleged co-conspirators after a federal investigation that took at least 16 months, is accused of conspiracy, money laundering and other crimes.

“These charges represent allegations that Congressman Renzi defrauded the public of his unbiased, honest services as an elected official,” said Alice Fisher, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s criminal division.

Renzi’s attorneys, Reid Weingarten and Kelly Kramer, released a statement Friday proclaiming their client’s innocence. “Congressman Renzi did nothing wrong. We will fight these charges until he is vindicated and his family’s name is restored,” they said.

Renzi is one of more than two dozen Arizona “co-chairs” of Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign. At a campaign stop Friday in Indianapolis, McCain told the Associated Press: “I feel for the family. … But I don’t know enough of the details to make a judgment.”