Jim Gibbons Governor retains high-powered attorney in federal investigation of conduct

Gov. Jim Gibbons has retained one of the nation's top lawyers specializing in white-collar crime cases to represent him in a federal probe examining whether he accepted payments or gifts from a Reno software contractor in exchange for steering defense contracts to him.

Gibbons retained Abbe Lowell, head of the white-collar defense group at the Washington-based firm Chadbourne & Parke, said Gibbons' local lawyer, Don Campbell.

Campbell said in a statement that he and Lowell have contacted "the appropriate officials and pledged the Governor's assistance with respect to any matter they deem of interest."

Campbell declined on Thursday night to say whom he and Lowell had contacted.

Lowell, who twice served as counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, represented House Democrats during the impeachment proceedings of former President Clinton.

With a reputation as a tough and determined litigator, Lowell is well-known in the nation's capital. He represented Gary Condit during the investigation into the disappearance of Chandra Levy, a Washington intern who went missing in 2001 and who had a relationship with Condit, a Democratic congressman from California at the time.

The Brooklyn-born attorney also represented former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was sentenced to almost six months in federal prison after pleading guilty to business fraud.

The Wall Street Journal has published stories stating that Gibbons, while a congressman, improperly accepted private jet flights and luxury cruises from software contractor Warren Trepp.

Trepp, the former chief trader for junk-bond dealer Michael Milken, is the owner of eTreppid, a Reno-based company that was awarded military contracts.

Gibbons has denied any wrongdoing.

Stories about the matter have highlighted an e-mail exchange between Trepp and his wife. She sent him an e-mail on March 22, 2005, which stated: "Please don't forget to bring the money you promised Jim and Dawn," allegedly referring to the governor and his wife, Dawn, according to news reports.

"Don't you ever send this kind of message to me! Erase this message from your computer right now!" Trepp responded, according to news reports.

Trepp's attorney has said previously that Trepp never wrote the governor e-mails discussing payments.

Gibbons' office on Thursday night declined to comment on the case or the hiring of Lowell, instead directing questions to Campbell.

The case came to light through civil suits filed between Trepp and Dennis Montgomery, the former chief technical officer and co-founder of eTreppid. Each man is accusing the other of stealing company secrets for software that is used by the government.