Ex-GSA official indicted in spending scandal

Jeffrey Neely, the former regional General Services Administration (GSA) commissioner at the center of the scandal over lavish taxpayer-funded conferences, was indicted on Thursday.

{mosads}The counts against Neely include various instances of making false claims and using false documents to charge inappropriate expenses to the government.

Central to the allegations is the 2010 GSA conference in Las Vegas. The Washington Post reported in 2012 that employees stayed in 2,400-square-foot loft suites with wet bars and multiple HD TVs. There was a $7,000 sushi reception, $44-per-head-breakfasts, a $3,200 mind reader and $130,000 spent on pre-conference scouting trips.

The scandal forced the GSA administrator to resign and drew fire from Congress. 

Each count holds a sentence of up to five years in prison. The allegations include charging expenses at the M Resort Spa in Las Vegas to the government, as well as separate instances where he charged travel to Guam, Saipan and Long Beach, Calif.

Neely cited the Fifth Amendment and declined to testify before a congressional investigation. 

The Obama administration announced new restrictions on travel following the revelations and asked each agency to spend 30 percent less on travel expenses.