Deputy Undersec. in chimp's Education Dept found guilty (travel expenses)

[rainbow4321]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8BLSOP82.html


A former Texas judge and Education Department official was sentenced to one year probation and fined $5,000 after an early plea of guilty to charging the government for personal travel.

Eric Andell, 58, a former deputy undersecretary for safe and drug free schools at the Education Department, was sentenced on Friday in Washington, D.C. He went to the nation's capital in 2001 as a senior adviser to then-Education Secretary Rod Paige.


Andell, a former justice for the First Court of Appeals in Texas, made several trips to Houston where he acted as a visiting state judge. On some of these trips, he got federal government salary as sick leave, according to court documents.

All the trips involved at least some travel for personal purposes, including attending a concert in Ohio and football games in Houston and Detroit, according to court documents.



http://www.democrats.com/node/4444


For several of the trips, Andell received his federal government salary as sick leave "when in fact he was working and being paid as a visiting judge in the state of Texas," according to the court papers.

He also filed federal expenses when he traveled to Austin, Texas, on Aug. 13, 2003 in order "to seek appointment from the governor of Texas," according to the court documents, which provide no elaboration. The office of Republican Gov. Rick Perry said it could not confirm a meeting with Andell because the appointments office was already closed for the day.

[napi21]

1. Aaah, honesty back to Washington. Isn't it wonderful! n/t