Ex-Head of US Special Counsel Office Pleads Guilty to Criminal Contempt
The former chief of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal contempt of Congress for withholding information from a U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating his deletion of files from four government computers, reports the Blog of Legal Times.
Onetime Special Counsel Scott Bloch resigned his job in late 2008 after federal raids on his office and his home in the Washington, D.C. area. In a press release today, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia says Bloch brought in Geeks on Call to wipe out information on four computers in his office, but doesn’t explain why he did so.
It does state that on March 4, 2008, during a transcribed interview with staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Bloch five times “unlawfully and willfully withheld pertinent information.” The BLT article says no motive was offered today in court.
A plea agreement (PDF) dated April 19 also offers minimal details.
It calls for Bloch to be sentenced to no more than six months and a fine of no more than $5,000, the BLT reports.
“Glad this matter is behind us, and Mr. Bloch is looking forward to getting on with his life,” said Bloch’s lawyer, Winston & Strawn partner William Sullivan Jr., as he accompanied Bloch to the probation office at the courthouse.
Bloch is now an employment practitioner at Taron & McLaughlin.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Top Protector of Whistle-Blowers Steps Down Amid Criminal Probe”
ABAJournal.com: “Top Deputy in US Watchdog Agency Quits, Objects to ‘Political Agendas’”
Updated April 28 to add name of Bloch’s lawyer.
