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Weldon associate pleads guilty

WASHINGTON - A close friend of former U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon pleaded guilty today to destroying records soon after the FBI interviewed her about the congressman.

WASHINGTON - A close friend of former U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon pleaded guilty today to destroying records soon after the FBI interviewed her about the congressman.

Cecelia M. Grimes, 43, a real estate agent who became a highly paid defense lobbyist, is the second person to plead guilty.

At sentencing before U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy, she likely faces 10 to 16 months in federal prison.

The Weldon investigation is continuing and a prosecutor said today that Grimes is a cooperating witness in the case and suggested that she not be sentenced until "early winter."

The judge set a date of Jan. 23. Grimes was released today from court without any bail conditions.

Grimes had no Washington experience, and worked out of her home in Media. But she was hired as a lobbyist by giant defense contractors, some of whom won deals with Weldon's help.

The investigation focuses, in part, on whether Weldon - identified as "Representative A" by prosecutors in a criminal information filed yesterday - agreed to support contracts for Grimes' clients "as a quid pro quo for the payment of fees" to the lobbying firm, court papers say. Weldon, a Republican from Delaware County, has not been charged and maintains his innocence.

After today's hearing, prosecutors and defense attorneys declined to comment.

In a statement before today's hearing, Grimes' attorneys said she was "extremely remorseful," but defended her lobbying work.

"Any suggestion that Ms. Grimes engaged in any inappropriate, illegal or improper conduct with regard to her role as a lobbyist is incorrect and unfounded," the statement said. Her lawyer, Richard L. Scheff of Philadelphia, declined further comment.

Two FBI agents interviewed Grimes at her home in October 2006 and asked her about how she got into lobbying and her contacts with Weldon, according to the criminal information filed in Washington yesterday.

At the end of the interview, they gave her subpoenas seeking records of two lobbying firms, their clients, and Grimes' travel and e-mails.

Grimes instead filled trash bags with records, including check stubs, records of airline and Amtrak travel, an invitation to a Weldon fund-raiser, and RSVP cards for a dinner honoring Weldon. The FBI recovered the bags from trash cans next to Weldon's house.

The next month, trying to keep her e-mails from being read by the FBI, Grimes dropped her BlackBerry into a trash can at a nearby Arby's restaurant, the information said. That was not recovered.

In court today, Grimes said she disposed of the BlackBerry because she didn't want personal information getting out.

"There were personal emails I did not want to see on the 6 o'clock news," she said