WASHINGTON (AP) - The central figure in a General Services Administration spending scandal has asserted his right to remain silent at a congressional hearing.
    
Jeffrey Neely had been placed on leave as a regional executive in Western states earlier. On Monday, he was called before the House Oversight Committee.
    
Neely, who could face a criminal investigation, was largely responsible for an $823,000 Las Vegas conference in 2010.

Three other congressional committees are investigating the conference and a culture of overspending by the agency.
    
The conference was the subject of a highly critical report by GSA inspector general Brian Miller.

Taxpayers picked up the tab for a clown, a mind-reader, bicycles for a team-building exercise, parties and what Neely called a pre-conference scouting trip.
    
GSA is in charge of federal buildings and supplies.