Jury selection concluded this morning in the trial of Kevin Ring, a former associate of imprisoned ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Opening statements will begin this afternoon.

Ring is being tried on eight criminal counts, including conspiracy to provide illegal gratuities and commit wire fraud.

Ring served as chief of staff to former Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., and a Senate Judiciary subcommittee aide to Sen. John Ashcroft, R-Mo., before joining Abramoff's lobbying team at Greenberg Traurig. The Department of Justice charges that while working with Abramoff, Ring was part of an elaborate scheme to bribe public officials and defraud clients, most notably several Native American tribes.

To date, 20 people have been convicted, pleaded guilty or are awaiting trial in relation to the scandal. Abramoff pleaded guilty in January 2006. One congressman (former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio), other lobbyists, congressional officials and Bush administration officials have also pleaded guilty.

Only one other individual involved in the investigation, former White House aide David Safavian, has gone to trial rather than pleading guilty. He was found guilty of lying and obstructing justice in July 2006.

Two witnesses who are expected to be called by the defense, David and Laura Ayres, have threatened to invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying. This morning, the presiding judge, Ellen Huvelle, said a hearing will likely be held next week to determine whether the Fifth Amendment applies. Lawyers for the Department of Justice said that they have not named the Ayreses as co-conspirators in the case, but it is possible that they are concerned about self-incrimination in relation to a tax issue.

(Photo of Kevin Ring courtesy of the Senate)

David Ayres, who was chief of staff to Ashcroft when he was attorney general, allegedly received tickets to a sporting event from Ring as an inducement for the approval of a grant for one of Ring and Abramoff's clients, the Mississippi Choctaw tribe. Ring's lawyers said this morning that Ayers did not make the final decision for the grant and they want to call the Ayreses to testify about the circumstances surrounding the ticket exchange and grant approval. David Ayres currently works at consulting and law firm the Ashcroft Group.

The defense has not said whether Ring will testify in the case, and Huvelle said Ring will need to determine if he will testify by the end of the prosecution's case.

The case is expected to last about a month, with the prosecution presenting for two to three weeks and the defense presenting for about a week.

The jury, consisting of eight women and nine men, including five alternates, will have to reach a unanimous decision in the case to convict Ring.