"He is an innocent man who was caught up in this Abramoff fever," Safavian's attorney, Barbara Van Gelder, said during closing arguments. "He is an innocent man who tried to do the right thing and it has turned out very, very wrong."

The jury will begin deliberations today on the charges against Safavian: five counts of misleading investigators and obstructing their inquiry into his ties with Abramoff and a golf trip he took to Scotland in 2002 with the lobbyist, a congressman and others.

Federal Prosecutor Nathaniel Edmonds said Safavian lied in an effort to conceal his work to help Abramoff acquire two pieces of federal property.

"No man can serve two masters," Edmonds said. "Mr. Safavian tried to serve two masters. He is appointed by the president to serve the people of the United States, but he chose to serve Jack Abramoff."

Van Gelder said Safavian's aid to Abramoff is overblown by prosecutors.

"What did David Safavian do for Jack Abramoff? Nothing. He wouldn't give him what he wanted," she said.

Abramoff served as a mentor to Safavian when they worked at the same lobbying firm beginning in 1994. In January 2001, Safavian was hired by Cannon to be the congressman's chief of staff, where he served until May 2002.

In a 2002 e-mail, Safavian indicates he was looking to leave Cannon's office and join Abramoff's firm, but instead he was offered the job as chief of staff of the General Services Administration, which controls billions of dollars in government contracts and property.

There was no evidence of any wrongdoing when Safavian worked in Cannon's office.

Despite frequent references during the three-week trial to Safavian's relationship with Abramoff, neither the prosecution nor the defense called Abramoff to testify. Instead, prosecutors relied on scores of e-mails that depicted a frequent, friendly exchange between the men, with Safavian frequently providing Abramoff with information on two pieces of government property Abramoff was seeking access to.

One, in Maryland, Abramoff wanted for a religious school; the other, a historic building in the heart of downtown Washington, he wanted to turn into a five-star hotel.

The trial also delved into a golf trip to Scotland, where Abramoff, Safavian and others, including an Ohio congressman, played on the historic St. Andrews golf course.

Safavian paid Abramoff $3,100 for the trip, but Edmonds scoffed at the payment, arguing it didn't come close to covering the weeklong stay in posh hotels, private air travel, luxury meals, $300 rounds of golf with $100 tips for caddies. Edmonds told jurors the actual value could have been as much as $17,000.

Safavian is the first Abramoff associate to stand trial in the Abramoff influence-peddling investigation. Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud and tax-evasion charges. His associates Michael Scanlon and Neil Volz have also pleaded guilty.

Days before his arrest in 2005, Safavian resigned his job as the top procurement officer at the White House Office of Management and Budget.