WASHINGTON -- Former Ohio Rep. Robert Ney, who was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a federal bribery charge, has been transferred to a halfway house in Cincinnati.

Federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Felicia Ponce confirmed Ney was transferred from the federal lockup in Morgantown, W.Va, into the Cincinnati Community Corrections Center in Ohio.

Ponce said Ney's new projected release date is Aug. 16, 2008. If so, Ney would have served 17 months of his 30-month prison sentence.

NEWS9 has confirmed Ney will be allowed to hold a job outside of the Cincinnati facility, as is often the case for inmates of federal halfway houses.

Ponce said Ney has also earned a 117-day reduction of time served, because of good behavior.

Ney pleaded guilty in late 2006 in connection with the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. He resigned his seat in the U.S. House in October 2006, shortly before the midterm elections.

Ney's attorney, Bill Lawler, said his client received treatment for alcohol abuse while in the Morgantown prison facility.

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