Another member of the "Corrupt Bastards Club" indicted - Alaska

[Blue_In_AK]

http://www.adn.com/fbi/story/460986.html

By LISA DEMER
[e-mail]

A federal grand jury has handed up a two-count indictment against state Sen. John Cowdery, R-Anchorage.

Cowdery, at 78 the oldest member of Alaska's Legislature, is charged with conspiracy and bribery. The indictment was handed up yesterday but not filed in U.S. District Court until today.

According to the 16-page indictment, Cowdery and others conspired to give another state senator $25,000, characterized as campaign contribution, to do the bidding of an oil field services company. While not named in the indictment, court papers filed in other cases identify the company as Veco Corp. Veco chief executive Bill Allen and vice president Rick Smith have pleaded guilty to bribing legislators, including Cowdery, to push through a version of an oil tax favored by North Slope producers.

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Cowdery is an old-time Alaskan who has a long history with Allen.

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He's had powerful positions in the Senate leadership, including Rules Committee chairman, serving as gatekeeper for which bills reach the full Senate for a vote. In the last two legislative sessions, he wasn't the prime sponsor of any bill. But in the previous Legislature he sponsored several including one in 2005 pushed by Anchorage poker legend Perry Green to allow gambling card rooms. It passed the House but died in the Senate.

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At the trial of former House Speaker Pete Kott last fall, Allen testified that Cowdery was part of his inner circle.

"John Cowdery was -- he didn't drink a lot, but him and I seen each other a - a - a lot. He had the same makeup, I guess, of me," Allen testified in the Kott trial. They both were contractors and talked about heavy equipment like Caterpillar trucks.

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We're still waiting for Ben Stevens and others. :)

[WhoDoYouTrust]

1. Gotta kick this for us, Blue

One more off to prison. The responses on the adn page are interesting.

:kick:

[Blue_In_AK]

2. There don't seem to be too many tears being shed

for the old guy, huh? I'm still waiting patiently for Ben's day in the sun. He makes all these others look like rank amateurs.