From the Southern

Former Conn. Governor to Plead Guilty
By MATT APUZZO and JOHN CHRISTOFFERSON
Posted: Thursday, December 23, 2004 9:31 AM CSTNEW HAVEN, Conn. - Former Gov. John G. Rowland arrived in federal court Thursday morning and planned to plead guilty to charges in a two-year corruption investigation that drove him from office, The Associated Press has learned.
"I'll see you on the way out," Rowland told reporters upon arriving with his wife. He declined to comment further.
Earlier, a source familiar with the case said Rowland agreed to make the plea Thursday morning in U.S. District Court.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said three-term former governor will plead guilty to unspecified charges to avoid indictment, ending the two-year long investigation into corruption in his administration.
Rowland, 47, who resigned July 1, was once one of the GOP's rising young stars. He became engulfed in scandal in December 2003 when he admitted accepting renovations at his lakeside cottage _ including a hot tub and new heating system from employees and state contractors _ and lying about it. Other gifts and favors soon came to light.
Rowland resigned amid legislative hearings that threatened to lead to his impeachment. His lieutenant governor, M. Jodi Rell, was elevated to fill the remainder of his term, which expires after the November 2006 elections.
In September, Rowland's former co-chief of staff and a major state construction contractor pleaded not guilty to charges they ran a criminal organization from the governor's office, trading contracts for gold coins, expensive meals and limousine trips.
A 15-count indictment accused former co-chief of staff Peter N. Ellef, his son Peter Ellef II, and contractor William Tomasso of conspiring to steer state contracts from 1997 to 2003.
For months, Rowland has insisted he never did anything in exchange for the gifts. But the drumbeat of allegations sent his approval ratings plummeting and led to demands for his resignation from both Democrats and Republicans.
Rowland received cigars, champagne, a canoe and free or discounted vacations from employees and friends _ including some with state contracts. The FBI was even looking into whether Rowland skimmed money from low-stakes poker games he hosted.
One longtime friend, a state contractor, bought the governor's Washington condominium at an inflated price through a straw buyer.
During the committee hearings, the governor's lawyers criticized the investigation, arguing that the 10-member panel never set any standards for impeachment. Rowland fought a subpoena to testify on the grounds it violated the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. He announced his resignation days after the state Supreme Court ruled he could be compelled to appear before the committee.
The committee ended its investigation without deciding whether the governor had done anything that warranted impeachment.
Asked about the source's plea report about the governor, Hugh Keefe, an attorney for Ellef, said he was "surprised and disappointed."
"I thought he should try the case. Based on what I know about the case, it's a tryable case for him," Keefe said.
Keefe said he was not sure how it would affect his client or whether Rowland would be cooperating with authorities as part of the deal.