Stevens arrives for start of corruption trial

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON -- Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens has arrived in federal court to begin what could be the most important battle of his long career, defending himself against corruption charges in Washington while running for re-election back in Alaska.

Stevens, who was seated in the courtroom before proceedings commenced Monday morning, is charged with lying in Senate financial disclosure records about hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and home renovations he received from VECO Corp. On Friday, he urged people to reserve judgment until all the evidence is in.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092200284.html

Key players in the trial of Sen. Ted Stevens
By The Associated Press – 2 days ago

A look at the key players in the trial of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. Jury selection begins Monday:

THE DEFENSE

TED STEVENS: At 84, Stevens is the Senate's longest-serving Republican and long has been Alaska's political patriarch. He is charged with lying about more than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations he received from corrupt oil field services contractor Bill Allen. He faces five years in prison on each of seven counts. Stevens steadfastly maintains his innocence and asked for a speedy trial in hopes of being vindicated before Election Day, which is Nov. 4.

BRENDAN SULLIVAN: Sullivan is among the best and most respected trial lawyers in the country. He has represented several political figures in corruption scandals and, when 18 states decided to sue Microsoft for antitrust violations, they tapped Sullivan as their lawyer. He is perhaps most famous for representing Oliver North in the Iran-Contra scandal. During a congressional hearing, when a senator pressed him to stop objecting on North's behalf, Sullivan famously quipped: "Well sir, I'm not a potted plant. I'm here as the lawyer. That's my job."

THE GOVERNMENT

BRENDA MORRIS: A longtime prosecutor with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, Morris now serves as its principal deputy. She has helped supervise the investigation into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and has prosecuted corruption cases around the country. She teaches corruption investigations within the Justice Department and is a professor at Georgetown Law School.

NICHOLAS MARSH: One of two Public Integrity trial attorneys on the case, Marsh handled much of the courtroom work during the trials of Alaska lawmakers caught up in the scandal. He has been part of numerous other public corruption investigations, including a scheme in Mississippi to defraud a $400 billion fen-phen settlement.

more:http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iY0MYgJE_BoX5-HUjvnt-CtbaJpQD93AAOR00