Oil Services Executives Plead Guilty to Bribing Alaska Lawmakers

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

Oil Services Executives Plead Guilty to Bribing Alaska Lawmakers
05-07-2007 4:20 PM
By RACHEL D'ORO, Associated Press Writer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Associated Press) -- Two top officers of an oil services company pleaded guilty Monday to bribing Alaska lawmakers with cash and the promise of jobs, contracts and favors for their backing on bills supported by the multinational firm.

Bill J. Allen, chief executive of Anchorage-based VECO Corp., and Rick Smith, a vice president, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to extortion, bribery, and conspiracy to impede the Internal Revenue Service.

Their attorneys did not immediately return calls for comment Monday.

Prosecutors say Smith, Allen and five state lawmakers conspired to buy the lawmakers' support with money and other financial benefits, according to court documents.

Read more: http://omaha.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8OVPH101&_action=validatearticle

[scarletwoman]

1. I'm shocked! SHOCKED, I tell you!

:rofl:

(I lived in Alaska once upon a time...)

[Hotler]

2. I think this is going to be sweet for..

the Duer's from Alaska.

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Sure IS sweet...

I posted about it here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=843102&mesg_id=843102

but nobody responded. :cry:

[harpboy_ak]

4. Ah, I only follow Latest Breaking News

Which is where I've been posting updates the past several days. Didn't check in during the day here today, because the sun came out in Our Fair Capital City, and I had urgent garden business for a few hours between spring showers. In Juneau, we grab our sunny outdoor minutes when we can.

Everyone in the Lege is waiting for the Senator A (Cowdery) and B (Stevens) shoes to drop. Notice Anchorage NBC Chan 2 news tonight quoted Senator Ted as saying "As usual, I will not comment about cases in progress". For those interested in video coverage, try http://www.ktuu.com/

[harpboy_ak]

14. Re Ben Stevens --- there's more!

A friend reminded me of all of Ben Stevens' "consulting" in the fisheries biz, where Daddy Tubular Ted has helped out by sending the following link to an online summary:

http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/node/1110

[dipsydoodle]

5. Not sure which is worse

No response or getting moved to the Lounge.

ps nice pics on your site.

[Blue_In_AK]

10. Thanks, Edward.

[formercia]

6. The Aryan Brotherhood in a pin-striped suit. n/t

[gratuitous]

7. No lawmakers indicted yet

Well, Katie Couric will be along any minute now to tell us that the graft was bipartisan, and hit both parties. Too bad it will be just the majority Republicans who get nailed. But Katie will get back to us on all the Democrats who were corrupted.

[Toots]

8. I just hope Smith and Allen drop a dime on Murkowski

There is none more deserving of jail time IMO than Murkowski.

[Blue_In_AK]

9. I couldn't agree more...

...and since it was HIS oil tax and pipeline that these guys were pushing so hard for, I can't see how he's not involved. Everybody was so pissed off at him for all those secret meetings with the oilmen while all this negotiating was going on, there just has to be something up.

[Toots]

11. I just heard the ex-governor is involved as well

I just heard from a friend of mine that lives in Juneau that says he read in the Juneau paper that an Alaska elected official is directly involved. That Allen and an as yet unnamed State Senator were together in a room with an Alaskan Elected Official making the deals. Huge amount of money given to the Elected Alaskan Official to push for VECO's Pipeline plan. There are only two elected officials in Alaska. The Governor and the Lt Governor. Murkowski was the only Elected Official that was very very active in pushing VECO's Plan. Murkowski is going to be indicted in very short order as is Ben Stevens the "unnamed State Senator". Justice may actually come to pass in this land of ours afterall.

[Toots]

12. Went to link my friend provided

Small blurb from Juneau Empire


VECO CEO Bill Allen and Vice-President Rick Smith were charged with several counts of bribing state legislators.

In charging documents unsealed Monday and earlier, federal prosecutors said VECO joined with unidentified state senators and a "state elected official" to conspire to promote the version of an oil tax sought by VECO and the big oil producers that provide much of VECO's business.

Members of the Legislature are mentioned in the complaint but identified only by code letters. The documents also provide an intriguing reference to a state official, however.

"Allen had an in-person meeting with State Senator A and the state elected official in which Allen and State Senator A outlined a scheme in which the state elected official would receive financial benefits from VECO in exchange for the state elected official's agreement to take official acts requested by Allen, Smith and VECO," according to information filed by federal prosecutors.

Alaska has only two statewide elected officials, the governor and lieutenant governor. It is not clear, however, whether the prosecutors were alluding to one of them.

During the last legislative session Gov. Frank Murkowski was seen as a strong advocate for producers in a deal for a natural gas pipeline. A deal on oil tax rates was seen as a precursor to that, prosecutors said.

Murkowski left the state immediately after his term in December on an around-the-world cruise. His immediate whereabouts are unknown.

[jazzjunkysue]

13. Well, someone took the money, if the bribe happened.

So someone's head hasta roll.

It's like the French Revolution!