SEN. STEVEN INDICTED. Who's Who in the "Corrupt Bastards Club" & WHO IS NEXT?

[L. Coyote]

FIRST, Thanks to everyone on DU who has contributed to keeping this issue on the front burner!!
PARTY TIME to celebrate a little justice, finally!!

Deja DU: Let's Have a "SERIES OF TUBES" Party on DU.... = Ted Stevens VIDEOS
Sep-20-07 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1863092

SECOND, What to expect next? I suspect, MORE indictments of Republican US Senators.
Here are two thread indicating who else was receiving without reporting:

Deja DU: Who's Who in the "Corrupt Bastards Club" ?? Nothing Fishy Here. MOVE ON
Oct-21-07 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2101151

Deja DU: Stevens, Corrupt VECO CEO Campaign Contributions. More R Senators Involved.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2062738

Alaska trips put Washington on the hook as Bill Allen used fishing for pork bait!
Fishing trips put Washington on the hook


Bill Allen, second from left, is pictured in 2000 with Republican Senators Trent Lott of Mississippi, left, Dennis Hastert of Illinois, and Phil Gramm of Texas. (no credit)


From left, Sen. Kit Bond, unidentified woman, Nancy Murkowski, Sen. Frank Murkowski, Bill Allen.


From left, Sen. Thad Cochran, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Sen. Frank Murkowski, Bill Allen, unidentified woman, Sen. Larry Criag, Nancy Murkowski, Sen. Kit Bond, Sen. Don Nickles.


From left, Sen. Kit Bond, Tricia Lott, Sen. Trent Lott, Bill Allen, unidentified woman, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, former Sen. Phil Gramm, Nancy Murkowski, Sen. Frank Murkowski.

Over the past 20 years Alaskan oil entrepreneur Bill Allen and people who work for him gave more than $1 million to candidates running for Congress. But his connections gave him another way to gain influence in Washington -- fishing. Steve Henn reports.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/10/15/bill_allen_fishing

STEVE HENN: For years, Bill Allen was a supporter of two Alaskan charities with ties to the state's senior senator, Ted Stevens, and his former Republican colleague Frank Murkowski. The charities have spent millions on lavish fishing tournaments, bringing Washington bigwigs to Alaska to catch salmon and mingle with executives and lobbyists.

If lawmakers paid for these trips, they would cost $1,000 a night. But they don't.

Instead, political committees and a network of non-profits backed by lobbyists pick up the tab. ......

THIRD, there is the matter of the other totally corrupt Alaskan, Rep. Don Young.
His indictments should be announced any day now too.

Deja DU: FBI recorded Rep. Don Young phone calls = Golf Tournaments Eyed in Corruption Case
Nov-14-07 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2284758

VECO official acknowledges organizing fundraiser for Young
AP - September 17, 2007 - http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=7087941

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The corruption trial of a former Alaska state legislator continued today to pop out names of prominent national politicians.

Former VECO Vice President Rick Smith testified he was instrumental in organizing an annual pig roast fundraiser that brought in thousands of campaign dollars to Congressman Don Young.

Smith mentioned no wrongdoing in regard to Young. ....

... Allen and Smith pleaded guilty in May to bribing Alaska lawmakers, ....

FOURTH, there are a lot of earmarks to investigate now:

Deja DU: Corrupt Bastards Club: FBI Investigating Stevens' Fishing Bills = Earmarks
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2227525

FIFTH, no discussion of Alaska (or Bush) corruption is complete without the BIG OIL story:

Big Oil's Influence in Washington . NOW | PBS = $82 million to candidates
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2328843

FINALLY, some key articles:

Executive Describes Work on Senator’s Home
WILLIAM YARDLEY - Sep 16, 2007 - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/us/politics/16alaska.html?ref=us

SEATTLE, Sept. 14 — A major federal contractor in Alaska provided workers and paid contractors to do remodeling work on the home of Senator Ted Stevens, a former executive with the company testified.

The contractor, Bill J. Allen, the former chief executive of the company, the VECO Corporation, testified Friday in an Anchorage courtroom that the company provided up to four workers at a time for several months in 2000 to work on the expansion of Mr. Stevens’s home in Girdwood, Alaska, according to an Associated Press account of testimony in the trial of a former state lawmaker who is facing corruption charges.

..... Mr. Allen has pleaded guilty to bribery and other corruption charges involving state lawmakers, including the senator’s son, Ben Stevens, the former president of the Alaska Senate.

One contractor who completed the bulk of the work on the house has said in interviews that he was told to send his invoices, totaling about $100,000, to VECO to be checked for accuracy, and that VECO then forwarded the bills to the senator.

Mr. Stevens has said that he paid all the bills he received and has denied wrongdoing. .........

Work on Stevens House Detailed
Ex-CEO Testifies He Oversaw Project
Paul Kane - Sep 15, 2007 - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402145.html?hpid=moreheadlines

.... Sen. Ted Stevens (R) ... is under investigation in a federal probe of corruption among Alaska lawmakers.

Bill Allen, the former chief executive of Veco Corp., said he personally oversaw the rebuilding of Stevens's house .... yesterday was the first time that Allen, who has pleaded guilty to bribing state lawmakers in Anchorage, named Stevens publicly. ....

Ted Stevens has told Alaska reporters that he paid every bill he received for the renovation. In a letter to a friend who is a former federal prosecutor, Stevens said he paid more than $130,000 for the renovations, according to the Seattle Times, which reported on the document.

Yesterday, Stevens said in a statement that he does not want to make any comment that might influence the investigation. "I urge Alaskans not to form conclusions based upon incomplete and sometimes incorrect reports in the media. The legal process should be allowed to proceed so that all the facts can be established and the truth determined," he said.

Federal investigators have been examining federal contracts awarded to Veco, particularly those from the National Science Foundation in 1999 and 2004. The 1999 contract was worth $45.4 million, while the second is worth as much as $93 million through 2011. .....

Stevens Mentioned in FBI Video
MATT APUZZO – http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hKRLMJ5kALpjyP4o6IvHjkrA3vow

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — During a secret meeting to discuss what prosecutors say was a dirty deal to keep Alaska oil taxes low, two oil contractors said they had a powerful ally coming to town who could help build support for the plan: Sen. Ted Stevens. ....

In the grainy video, VECO Corp. executives Bill Allen and Rick Smith can be heard talking about how to ensure passage of an oil tax bill. If approved, the bill would increase chances that a natural gas pipeline would be built, a deal that could mean huge profits for VECO.

Allen and Smith said they wanted to ensure Stevens was asked "good questions" that would steer him toward discussing the bill and the pipeline. The senator, Allen said, would make clear that "we need oil." ......

Days after the discussion on the videotape took place, Stevens arrived in Alaska to deliver his annual address to state lawmakers. He championed the pipeline project and said the tax bill would create a good investment climate to make that deal happen.

"This is something that must be done by this legislature, both oil pricing and the gas line. It's extremely important," Stevens said.

FBI Tapes Stevens Calls As Part of Sting
MATT APUZZO - 09.20.07 - http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/20/ap4141723.htm...

The FBI, working with an Alaska oil contractor, secretly taped telephone calls with Sen. Ted Stevens as part of a public corruption sting, according to people close to the investigation.

The secret recordings suggest the Justice Department was eyeing Stevens long before June, when the Republican senator first publicly acknowledged he was under scrutiny. At that time, it appeared Stevens was a new focus in a case that had already ensnared several state lawmakers.

The recorded calls between Stevens and businessman Bill Allen were confirmed by two people close to the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still under way. They declined to say how many calls were recorded or what was said.

Allen, a wealthy businessman and Stevens' political patron, agreed to the taping last year after authorities confronted him with evidence he had bribed Alaska lawmakers. ............

[DainBramaged]

1. WOW, thanks for the footwork.

[roguevalley]

19. I can hardly wait to get the newspaper each day.

www.adn.com this is the newspaper. they hate stevens.

[Dover]

2. Might be a lot more expedient to list those who AREN'T corrupt...n/t

[L. Coyote]

4. But, how can we be sure about that? LOL

[Hugabear]

3. I'd say just about anyone with a (R) after their name

They're all corrupt, the whole fucking lot of them. It's endemic to the rethug party, their cozy relationships with Big Business.

[panader0]

5. Rec'd! What a compendium of corruption.

[CountAllVotes]

6. the old pigs are dropping

like flies. Good riddance!!!!!!!!!

:kick:

[L. Coyote]

7. US_DoJ RELEASE: U.S. Senator Indicted on False Statement Charges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 29, 2008
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

U.S. Senator Indicted on False Statement Charges

WASHINGTON – United States Senator Theodore F. Stevens of Alaska was charged today in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia with seven counts of making false statements related to Stevens’ financial disclosure forms, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced.

The seven-count indictment charges Sen. Stevens, the former chairperson of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, with engaging in a nearly eight-year scheme to conceal his receipt of more than $250,000 in things of value from VECO Corporation, formerly a multi-national oil services company based in Alaska, and Bill J. Allen, the Chief Executive Officer of VECO at the time. According to the indictment, Stevens concealed these things of value from his publicly filed United States Senate financial disclosure forms. The things of value that Stevens allegedly received included: substantial home improvements to property Stevens owns in Girdwood, Alaska; automobile exchanges in which Stevens received new vehicles worth far more than the used vehicles Stevens provided in exchange; and household goods. The indictment also alleges that Sen. Stevens, during the same time that he was concealing his continuing receipt of these things of value from VECO and Allen, received solicitations for official actions from Allen and other VECO employees, and that Sen. Stevens used his position and office on behalf of VECO during that same time period.

The indictment specifically charges Stevens with making false statements on his financial disclosure forms for calendar years 2001 to 2006. The indictment alleges that, during each of those years, Stevens knowingly failed to report his receipt of any thing of value from Allen, VECO or two other individuals, despite the fact that the forms required Stevens to report his receipt of such things of value.

As set forth in the indictment, the Ethics in Government Act requires all members of the United States Senate to file a financial disclosure form, detailing specified financial transactions that the elected official engaged in during the prior calendar year, including disclosure of gifts over a specified monetary amount and disclosure of liabilities in excess of $10,000 owed during any point of a calendar year.

The indictment is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation in the state of Alaska. An indictment is merely an allegation. Defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

To date, there have been seven criminal convictions arising out of the ongoing investigation. Thomas T. Anderson, a former elected member of the Alaska House of Representatives, was convicted in July 2007 and sentenced to five years in prison for extortion, conspiracy, bribery and money laundering for soliciting and receiving money from an FBI confidential source in exchange for agreeing to perform official acts to further a business interest represented by the source. Peter Kott, a former Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, was convicted in September 2007 and sentenced to six years in prison for extortion, bribery and conspiracy. Victor H. Kohring, a former elected member of the Alaska House of Representatives, was convicted at trial in November 2007 for attempted extortion, bribery and conspiracy, and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. In March 2008, James A. Clark, chief of staff to the former governor of Alaska, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services mail and wire fraud. In addition, former Anchorage lobbyist William Bobrick pleaded guilty in May 2007 to felony public corruption charges.

Former VECO Chief Executive Officer Bill J. Allen and former VECO Vice President of Community Affairs and Government Relations Richard L. Smith, pleaded guilty in May 2007 to providing more than $400,000 in corrupt payments to public officials from the state of Alaska.

This case is being prosecuted by Principal Deputy Chief Brenda K. Morris, Trial Attorneys Nicholas A. Marsh and Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section, headed by Chief William M. Welch II, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph W. Bottini and James A. Goeke from the District of Alaska. The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigative Division.

Indictment = http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/July/stevens-indictment.pdf

[L. Coyote]

8. VIDEO: DOJ Press Conference about Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) Criminal Indictments

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x163117

[L. Coyote]

11. VIDEO: What Got Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) BUSTED!! $ Gifts $

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x163116

[L. Coyote]

30. VIDEO: Countdown: Republicans are Rapidly Scrambling Away from Indicted Sen. Ted Stevens

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x164155

[malaise]

9. Great post

K & R for Ted Stevens.

[Octafish]

10. Don't forget the Supreme Court. They let EXXON off the hook, Big Time.

Slowed down the wheels of justice, too, as the EXXON Valdez ran aground 19 years ago.

Gee. It's a metaphor for America. Her skipper's a drunk, too.

EDIT: Forgot the most important part -- Excellent post, L.Coyote. Thank you for the information.

[Blue_In_AK]

21. Thanks, Octafish, for not forgetting.

This EXXON VALDEZ decision came out about the same time as the ruling on the Second Amendment and got somewhat lost in the shuffle.

[SoCalDem]

12. His son has more DIRT, than a tossed out vacuum cleaner bag

Please let him share a jail cell with sonny-boy :)

[L. Coyote]

13. Stevens and Young should be in the same cell row to nowhere!! LOL.

[Winterblues]

18. Actually I was quite surprised he was not indicted before his father

I also would absolutely love to see Frank Murkowski indicted as well.

[SoCalDem]

20. Ted, being 84, probably cut a deal with them

He'd take the heat, so they'd go easy on sonny-boy.

[Blue_In_AK]

22. Winterblues, my husband's theory

is that they wanted to indict Ted first so he couldn't wield any undue influence with regard to saving Ben's ass. Taking Ted out clears the way. Bennie Boy is corrupt as they come.

[L. Coyote]

14. AP: Quotes on indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens

Quotes on indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iO5iGIzoGvyrHpYQoLnoWKeo8RjAD927POR80

Some reactions to the indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens ....

"It saddens me to learn that these charges have been brought against me. I have never knowingly submitted a false disclosure form required by law as a U.S. senator. In accordance with Senate Republican Conference rules, I have temporarily relinquished my vice-chairmanship and ranking positions until I am absolved of these charges. The impact of these charges on my family disturbs me greatly. I am innocent of these charges and intend to prove that." — Stevens.

"The president has been working with Sen. Stevens for many years and he appreciates his strong leadership on key issues. This is a legal matter that the Department of Justice is handling, and so we will not comment further on it." — White House press secretary Dana Perino.

....

"I have served with Sen. Stevens my entire congressional career. It's a sad day for him, us, but you know I believe in the American system of justice and he's presumed innocent. " — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

"I was shocked to learn of today's announcement. I know Ted Stevens to be an honorable, hard-working Alaskan ..... Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

"Ted is one of the most effective and honest legislators I have ever worked with.... " — Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska.

"I've known Ted Stevens for 28 years and have always known him to be impeccably honest." — Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.

"I know Ted Stevens, and he's an honest man. ... " — Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

...........

[malaise]

15. Defend one of your own Senators

Ed Rollins is almost in tears. Boo fugging hoo!
Joe Johns on CNN mentioned some of this a few minutes ago. They usually repeat at 11.00.

[L. Coyote]

16. Some great campaign ads!!! "The Rs. Soft on Big Oil crimes."

[L. Coyote]

17. MSNBC - Ted Stevens is indicted = Lots of VIDEOS!!

Lots of VIDEOS!!

MSNBC - Ted Stevens is indicted
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25913194#25913194


The New York Times: "The indictment of a sitting senator, particularly one of Mr. Stevens’s seniority and stature, reverberated swiftly and ominously ..
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/30/1232873.aspx

[opihimoimoi]

23. Isn't Tom DeLay on the docket? and that Larry guy?

[L. Coyote]

24. DeLay = the prosecution is proceeding

Judge Priest denied DeLay's motion to dismiss the more serious charges of money laundering and conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and the prosecution is proceeding on those charges.

DeLay and two Republican fundraisers are still awaiting trial.

==============
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8THGFT81.html
DeLay and two Republican fundraisers who were indicted with him still are awaiting trial in Travis County on charges of money laundering and conspiring to launder money. Earle's office lost its appeal earlier this year to have another charge of conspiracy to violate the election code reinstated against the three men.

While Earle didn't mention the DeLay case by name in announcing he was leaving office, he seemed to allude to it.

"There are particular cases pending that are enormously important to this state, this country, and democracy itself. If they are not resolved during the forthcoming last year of my term I will offer my assistance on those matters on a pro bono basis to my successor," Earle said in his prepared statement.

[opihimoimoi]

27. Boil the dude in oil....flogging is too mild

:puke:

[trof]

25. Did Stevens wear his Incredible Hulk tie?

That's what he dons for battle.
:rofl:

[Mudoria]

26. Maybe he and William J Jefferson could both be booted

from Congress and sent to share a jail cell together.

[L. Coyote]

28. Stevens To Plead Not Guilty + RIGHT NOW

Ted should be in court at this very moment, unless he is pulling a Rove and skipping town!! :rofl:

------------
Kris Alingod - AHN News Writer
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011790368

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) will make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon since being indicted on corruption charges.

Stevens will be arraigned at 1 pm before Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He is expected to plead not guilty.

Stevens, an 84-year old icon in Alaskan politics and the Senate's longest-serving Republican, was indicted Tuesday on seven counts of falsifying disclosure forms from 1999-2006 in order to conceal gifts amounting to $250,000 from controversial oil services company, Veco Corporation.

......

[L. Coyote]

29. Stevens Makes A Second Statement = "We have a Bill of Rights...."

Yeah, and rule by law, not by power and privilege!!!

=======
Stevens Makes A Second Statement
By Kate Klonick - August 1, 2008 - http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/stevens_makes_a_second_stateme.php

Around 5 PM Alaska time, Sen. Ted Stevens' office issued a second statement on his arraignment earlier in the day in federal court.

From the Anchorage Daily News:

I am pleased that the Judge has set a speedy trial date, which should allow ample time for a decision before the general election. I am looking forward to this trial as a way of finally showing the truth - that I am innocent.

We have a Bill of Rights and a trial by jury in our country to protect our citizens - so that every person has their day in court.

I am humbled by all the outpouring of support, expressions of friendship, and offers of prayers. .......

[L. Coyote]

31. ADN: Veco men sparked Stevens remodel

Veco men sparked Stevens remodel
By RICHARD MAUER - http://www.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/stevens/story/482555.html
Modified: August 3rd, 2008 07:35 PM

The idea to double the size of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens' home in Girdwood by jacking it up and adding a new first floor was hatched by Veco employees over drinks at the Alyeska Prince Hotel .....

Anderson said he eventually supervised the start of the 2000 renovation project for Veco and continued to respond to maintenance requests by Stevens and his wife over the next few years. He said Veco paid for most of the work and Stevens should have known it.

Williams said he too had a supervisory role on the project and that he made no effort to conceal his employment with Veco when Stevens came around. ......

The interviews with Anderson and Williams provide new details about the allegations in the Stevens indictment from the perspective of two people involved in the construction project. Their stories closely track the allegations in the government's case, though in several instances they spoke about work and furnishings provided to the Stevenses that were not directly mentioned in the indictment. ......

............

==================
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/veco_employees_shed_light_on_s.php

Anderson initially told the ADN that the "at least some" of the costs for the renovation were passed on to VECO clients, like "BP Exploration." Late yesterday, ADN ran a second story, saying that Anderson backed away from those statements. ....

==================
BP Declines to Discuss Allegations That It Helped Cover Cost of Stevens' Home Renovations
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/bp_declines_to_discuss_allegations_that_it_helped_cover_cost_of_stevens_home_renovations.php

[L. Coyote]

32. CREW on SEN. TED STEVENS = "Sen. Stevens should resign immediately."

CREW APPLAUDS INDICTMENT OF SEN. TED STEVENS
http://citizensforethics.org/node/33575

29 Jul 2008 // CREW applauds the indictment of Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) on seven counts of making false statements (summary of Stevens' violations attached). Each count is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment. ......

CREW executive director Melanie Sloan stated, “Although he was not charged with bribery, the indictment states that Sen. Stevens used his official position on behalf of VECO while receiving gifts from the company and its CEO. With this indictment, members of Congress have been put on notice that the Justice Department, on behalf of the American people, will not tolerate members abusing their position for private personal gain. Sadly, the same cannot be said of the Senate Ethics Committee, which has long turned a blind eye to Sen. Stevens’ offenses.” Sloan continued, “The citizens of Alaska deserve a senator focused on their issues not his own criminal charges. As a result, Sen. Stevens should resign immediately.”