Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate and a major power in Alaska politics, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of hiding more than $250,000 worth of gifts.
Stevens, 84, was charged with seven counts of making false statements on his Senate financial disclosure forms from 1999 to 2006 about gifts and renovations on his house from Veco Corp., an oil-field engineering firm, and its chief executive officer, William Allen, who pleaded guilty to bribery last year.
The gifts included improvements on a home in Alaska, including a remodeled first floor, a new garage and wraparound decks, new vehicles, inluding a brand-new Land Rover Discovery, furniture and a professional Viking gas grill, according to court papers. Around the same time, Veco and its subsidiaries won federal contracts worth $170 million to provide the National Science Foundation with polar and arctic research support, despite having no experience in the field, among other considerations.
The indictment boosts Democrats’ chances of winning an Alaska Senate seat for the first time in decades if Stevens remains a candidate. He has served in the Senate since 1968 and has held some of its most powerful positions, including chairmanships of the Appropriations and Commerce committees. He is known for funneling millions of federal dollars to projects in Alaska.
According to the charges, handed up by a grand jury in Washington D.C., Stevens used “his official position and his office on behalf of Veco,” although bribery is not alleged.
The company and Stevens discussed funding requests for international projects and partnerships, requests for grants and contracts to benefit the company, and his assistance with an effort to construct a natural gas pipeline, according to the indictment.
It was a year ago that federal agents raided Stevens’ home following questions about renovations at the home undertaken by Veco. That followed several months after Allen and Veco’s VP pleaded guilty to bribery in May 2007, and in court papers acknowledged making $243,000 in possibly illegal payments to four state lawmakers, including Stevens’s son, former State Senate President Ben Stevens, whose company allegedly received $243,250 for consulting fees that were “in fact for the purpose of obtaining (Stevens’) official support on matters pending before the Alaska State Legislature.”
After Allen’s testimony, federal authorities arrested former U.S. Rep. Pete Kott and three others, but not the younger Stevens.
Kott was convicted in September 2007 of conspiracy to solicit financial benefits, extortion and bribery.
A Justice Department spokesman said that Stevens will be turning himself in and will not be arrested. Filing false financial disclosure statement can result in civil and criminal penalties, including up to five years in prison.
Update 5:30 p.m. July 31:
Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens pleaded not guilty to corruption charges Thursday and received an unusually speedy trial date, which he hopes will clear his name before voters consider re-electing him in November. U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan set a tentative Sept. 24 trial date.
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