Bill Allen, a welder who took the Veco Corp. from a small Kenai oil-field company to a billion-dollar international contractor and a major political force, pleaded guilty Monday to bribing at least four Alaska legislators, including former Senate President Ben Stevens.
In a plea bargain with the U.S.Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, Allen and Rick Smith, Veco’s vice president for community and government affairs, each pleaded guilty to three identical felony charges - bribery and two counts of conspiracy.
Both men accepted responsibility for making more than $400,000 in illegal payments and benefits to public officials or their families. More than half the money went to Stevens in the form of phony “consulting” fees, the government charged.
Stevens, son of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, has not been charged. He was named in the plea documents as “State Senator B,” but his identity was unmistakable.
This has been brewing for awhile and I think many Alaskans expected it to involve Ben Stevens. He is an especially weaselly little shit who has used his father's influence to bully fellow state senators and get control of the reins of power and then, of course, abuse that power.
Those of us who have lived in Alaska for any length of time know full well that many Alaskan politicians play fast and lose with the rules, and sometimes even the laws.
We are not called "The Last Frontier" for nothing.
I wish these corrupt politicians would draw some truly hard prison time.
ReplyDeleteFor a change.