FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2002 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CRM (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff of the Criminal Division announced today that Walter L. Roberts, 40, a candidate to represent Oklahoma's Third Congressional District in the 1998 general election, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct a Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigation, a felony violation of Title 18 United States Code Section 371, and conspiracy to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), a misdemeanor violation of Title 18 United States Code Section 371.
The plea occurred this morning before the Honorable James Robertson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
In his plea today, Roberts admitted that from March 1998 through November 1998 he conspired with others to funnel over $150,000 of a co-conspirator's money into Roberts's campaign through a variety of schemes.
The FEC's investigation uncovered schemes that involved payment to the defendant for the sale of a stock trailer when no sale actually occurred. Additionally, a payment from a law firm for work that was never performed was forged. Contributions were also disguised through a scam option contract and a falsely reported cattle purchase. These schemes were designed to disguise the contribution sources from the FEC and the public.
In his plea today, Roberts also admitted that during the course of the investigation Roberts and others repeatedly lied to the FEC in sworn written and oral statements. Roberts acknowledged that he and others intended these false statements to obstruct the investigation.
As part of his plea agreement, Roberts has agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department's ongoing investigation into this matter.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy to obstruct a Federal Election Commission investigation is five years of imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. Applying the law in effect at the time he committed his offense, the maximum penalty for conspiracy to violate FECA is one year of imprisonment and a fine of $100,000 or 300 percent of the value of the illegal contributions. The defendant's sentencing is set for July 15, 2003 at 9:30 a.m.
This case is being prosecuted by trial attorneys Howard Sklamberg and Matthew Solomon of the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after a criminal referral from the FEC. 03-136
Source: US Department of Justice
