Jury Chosen in Nofziger Lobby Trial

A jury of seven men and five women was selected Friday to hear the trial of former White House aide Lyn Nofziger, who faces conflict of interest charges.

U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Flannery said that the trial, which is expected to last about a month, will begin Tuesday with opening statements by court-appointed prosecutor James C. McKay and defense attorneys for Nofziger and his co-defendant, Mark A. Bragg.

Nofziger, 63, is charged with four counts of violating the 1978 Ethics in Government Act for allegedly lobbying former White House colleagues on behalf of scandal-torn Wedtech Corp. and other clients of his new public relations business in the months after he left the government in January, 1982.

The ethics law prohibits former high-ranking officials from lobbying their immediate former colleagues for a year after leaving government service. If convicted on all counts, Nofziger, who was President Reagan’s director of political affairs, could face maximum punishment of eight years in prison and a $40,000 fine.