Nofziger Gets 90-Day Sentence : Ex-Reagan Aide Also Fined $30,000 for Illegal Lobbying

Lyn Nofziger, President Reagan’s former political director, was sentenced to 90 days in prison today and fined $30,000 for illegally lobbying Administration officials after he left the White House, a charge he likened to “running a stop sign.”

U.S. District Judge Thomas Flannery said Nofziger could remain free pending an appeal of his three felony convictions of contacting former colleagues on behalf of private clients within a year of leaving Reagan’s staff.

Nofziger could have been sentenced to two years on each of the three counts. The $30,000 was the maximum cumulative fine the judge could have assessed.

Nofziger, 63, was sentenced for illegally lobbying former Reagan Administration colleagues on behalf of Wedtech Corp., the scandal-wracked defense contractor, and a marine engineers union.

He was found guilty Feb. 11 of violating the Ethics in Government Act, which restricts lobbying by former government officials.

Rejected Plea for Probation

The judge rejected the defense plea that Nofziger be sentenced only to a short period of unsupervised probation.

Outside the courthouse, Nofziger told reporters, “I thought things were going to go better than they went.”

Before he was sentenced, Nofziger stood before the judge and said he wanted to reiterate “my belief that despite my conviction I have done nothing ethically, morally or legally wrong. I am an honorable man.”

Reagan and his wife, Nancy, issued a statement from their vacation home in California that said in full: “Lyn Nofziger is a dear friend of many years and our prayers are with him.”

Flannery ordered Nofziger to pay the $30,000 fine within 30 days. Like the prison term, however, the imposition of the fine was stayed pending appeal.

2 Years of Probation

The judge also ordered that after his imprisonment Nofziger be placed on two years’ probation. The judge agreed to a defense request that Nofziger be sent to a minimum-security federal prison.

Before he was sentenced, Nofziger told the judge, “I know there are those in this courtroom who believe that I should be sent to prison unless I come here today and plead guilt, express remorse and ask forgiveness.”

But, he added, “I cannot do that if I am to be true to myself. . . . “

After the hearing, independent counsel James C. McKay said, “We’re very satisfied with what Judge Flannery has done today.”

McKay had declined in court to make an additional statement on the sentence he had sought. The prosecutor, who said in a court filing that Nofziger had shown “a total lack of contrition and remorse,” had urged imprisonment to signal the seriousness of Nofziger’s offense.