Ex-Alaska House Speaker Gets 6 Years on Corruption Convictions Involving Oil Services Company

[babylonsister]

Ex-Alaska lawmaker sentenced in oil case

Ex-Alaska House Speaker Gets 6 Years on Corruption Convictions Involving Oil Services Company

DAN JOLING
AP News

Dec 07, 2007 16:39 EST

Former Alaska House Speaker Pete Kott was sentenced to six years in a federal prison Friday for accepting $9,000 in bribes from the founder of an oil field services company.

U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick bumped up the prison term beyond sentencing guidelines after concluding that Kott had committed perjury during his trial. He also said the legislation Kott took bribes to influence — a revised tax law on Alaska's principal industry, crude oil extraction — affected every Alaskan.

"The amount of money was in the hundreds of millions, if not billions," Sedwick said.

Kott was convicted in September of bribery, extortion and conspiracy for his dealings with executives of VECO Corp., a major Alaska firm that performed maintenance, design and construction contracts for petroleum producers.

The case has wide implications because the FBI is investigating whether Ted Stevens, the U.S. Senate's longest-serving Republican, received illegal gifts from the head of VECO. Stevens has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing.

Besides the cash, federal prosecutors said the Republican ex-lawmaker accepted a political poll paid on his behalf by VECO and that he received the promise of a job with the company after he left the Alaska Legislature.

more...

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2007/12/exalaska_lawmaker_sentenced_in.php

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Well, well, well...

Judge Sedwick isn't dealing with these guys lightly, that's for sure. Five years for Tom Anderson, now six for Kott. Wow. This can't make Vic Kohring, the third convicted legislator, feel too comforted.

We're still waiting for the indictment(s) of Ted Stevens' son Ben, which MUST be coming soon.

[babylonsister]

2. And Ted would be the cherry on top, though people like Lott

and Hastert being implicated would be pretty juicy, too. :evilgrin:

[Historic NY]

3. Can Bridge to no where Ted be next?