A nonpartisan watchdog group has named West Virginia Congressman Alan Mollohan one of the 20 most corrupt politicians on Capitol Hill.

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington included Mollohan in its second annual list -- an unflattering report titled "Beyond DeLay" that details the ethical wrongdoings of U.S. Congress members.

A Mollohan spokesman said it's irresponsible to make an accusation without all of the facts concerning the allegations about Mollohan's personal assets and nonprofit organizations.

Mollohan is the first West Virginia official to make the group's list and is one of only three Democrats on this year's list. Seventeen Republicans are on the list.

CREW, a Washington, D.C.-based group that targets corruption in U.S. government, publishes the report to inform constituents of those it deems to be the dirtiest players in politics, said Melanie Sloan, the group's founder and executive director.

She said including Mollohan on this year's list was a "no-brainer."

"There's a sheer volume of members of Congress who are willing to trade appropriations for campaign contributions," said Sloan, a former aide to U.S. Rep. John Conyers and Sen. Charles Schumer, both Democrats.

"Alan Mollohan obviously has problems with this, as do John Murtha and Jerry Lewis. The first rule of thumb is you must have power to abuse it. And no one has more power than appropriators. Earmarking is a big problem and using your position to benefit yourself and your friends. A lot of members are doing that, but Mollohan has garnered a lot of the attention."

Mollohan, who represents the 1st District in West Virginia, has come under intense scrutiny this year because of reports that he steered $250 million to five nonprofit groups he created.

The nonprofit groups are staffed by close friends of Mollohan who contribute regularly to his campaigns.

Mollohan also misreported his personal assets in financial disclosure forms, according to accusations from the conservative watchdog group National Legal & Policy Center, which released an exhaustive report on Mollohan to the FBI in March.

The congressman also has been criticized for taking a five-day, $7,874 trip to Spain in June 2004 that was financed by government contractors and West Virginia nonprofit groups.

All of these controversies led to Mollohan resigning from the House Ethics Committee. He is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.