FBI Questions Sen. Stevens Aides in Alaska Corruption Investigation

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

Former Capitol Hill aides to Sen. Ted Stevens are being questioned by the FBI as part of an investigation into the senator's relationship with a wealthy contractor.

It is the latest indication the Justice Department is scrutinizing the seven-term Alaska Republican in a public corruption investigation that has led to charges against state lawmakers and contractors.

A lawyer close to the case, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still under way, confirmed the FBI had recently questioned former Stevens aides about Bill Allen, a contractor who has pleaded guilty to bribing Alaska legislators.

---
The FBI is looking closely at that project, which more than doubled the size of Stevens' home in the ski resort community of Girdwood, about 40 miles south of Anchorage. As recently as two weeks ago, FBI agent Randy Wolverton requested planning records pertaining to the renovation, according to city documents.


Read more: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=3295036

[qanda]

1. Wow!

All these recommends and no comments. I guess I'll give this a little kick.

[UpInArms]

2. is Stevens about to go down the tubes? ........... eom

[dave29]

3. this could be series

and hugh

[UpInArms]

5. ..

[Clovis Sangrail]

10. lol

think his tube is going to be a tight fit?

[wordpix]

22. hahaha, good one---even if you didn't intend a pun

[UpInArms]

24. I love puns

ever been to the O'Henry pun-off in Austin, Tx?

The best moans and groans in the world!

[MNDemNY]

4. Crooked is as crooked does.

[loudsue]

6. Just another REPUBLICAN taking our tax dollars home with him.

Crooked assholes. Every. Single. One.

:kick:

[ladywnch]

7. I wonder if they'll rename the Anchorage airport........again

and remove his name

[19jet54]

8. Guilty until proven innocent...

... let's hope they can prove it - so he can join his buddy Cunningham - they can play checkers and talk of the "good ol' days' :)

"Hang 'em first, try 'em later!" - Judge Roy Bean

[Toots]

19. The reason they are looking is because the people who bribed him are squeeling like pigs

The FBI has testimony from reliable sources, the ex President and vice President of VECO, the large oil concern, that has been found guilty of bribing law makers. They have been charged and found guilty and are spilling their guts to save themselves and their family some hard time. It is because of their testimony that the FBI even knows about Steven's house remodel and other things he has been given by VECO. Now they are looking for evidence of his innocence and that may be hard to find..

[kineneb]

9. karma, dude.

be careful what you ask for...

[LynneSin]

11. He's probably one of the Vilest senators EVER

When he said he wouldn't step down until we started drilling in the Refuge AND then starting smearing Patty Murray because she didn't support drilling there

VILE VILE VILE

[SpiralHawk]

12. A corrupt republicon crony? Oh my - next thing you know

They will be reporting that a dog barked on a moonlit night

Patriotic Americans learned long ago that republicons are -- almost without exception, corrupt and lacking in honor and integrity

[cboy4]

13. Oh my....someone start up the truck

[juno jones]

14. As I recall,

Some of this shit is tied in with a pipeline company, Veco. We have a branch across from my workplace in WA and I keep thinking about how the Management must be freaking out about this. Hey, If you'ins did nothing wrong, then you have nothing to fear, so the mantra goes...

[SemperEadem]

15. I remember watching Stevens sitting on some panel regarding Katrina

homeowners who were being screwed 1000 ways to Sunday and he was being such an asshole towards these people.. he was basically making it sound as if they were stupid because they followed the rules laid out to them by the inept fema, etc. down there-- just the way he spoke to them, were I on the panel I would have told him he needed to check his tone. This is his karmic payback for being such a freakin' jerk to those people.

[dmr]

18. His own remodeling is under investigation - wonder what rules he played by ...

http://www.adn.com/news/politics/story/8928969p-8829178c.html

Feds eye Stevens' home remodeling project

The FBI and a federal grand jury have been investigating an extensive remodeling project at U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens' home in Girdwood that involved the top executive of Veco Corp. in the hiring of at least one of the key contractors.

Three contractors who worked on the project said in recent interviews with the Daily News that the FBI asked them to turn over their records from the job. One said he was called to testify about the project before a federal grand jury in Anchorage in December.

The remodeling work, which more than doubled the size of the house, occurred in the summer and fall of 2000. The four-bedroom home, about two blocks from the day lodge parking lot at the Alyeska ski resort, is Stevens' official residence in Alaska.

- snip -

Augie Paone, owner of Christensen Builders Inc. of Anchorage, said in a recent interview that it was Bill Allen who hired him to complete the framing and most of the interior carpentry at Stevens' home. Before he could send a bill to Stevens for work in progress, he was directed to provide it first to Veco, where someone would examine it for accuracy, he said. When Veco approved the invoice, he would fax it to the Stevenses in Washington, he said.

Paone said that as far as he knew, Stevens and his wife, Catherine, paid his bills themselves. He said he sent at least $100,000 in invoices to the Stevenses in Washington. They paid him from what he said appeared to be a checking account opened for the project. The checks, imprinted with the couple's names, had single- and double-digit serial numbers, he said.

More at link ...

[Hulk]

16. Stevens can be one of the next to leave Washington?

I'm hoping like hell the 2008 elections bring another Democratic Party sweep. THEN we can hold them to the burner! We need the 60 Senators to get this nation turned back around, collect back taxes on the fat cats, and start the warm crimes trials for these SOB's that have turned our Constitution into toilet paper.

I really think we need to push the Democratic Congressman to the same high expectation that we have suffered to learn. These repugs have made a travesty of our political process, made us the ugliest nation to the rest of the world, and now it's time to right the good ship Lollipop.

[wordpix]

20. "war crimes trials for these SOBs that have turned our Constitu. into toilet paper:" well said

[wordpix]

21. Stevens has for decades sold out AK to corporate cronies--go DOWN, asshole

Burn in hell until you're ashes

[roguevalley]

17. the tapping sound you hear is me skippity-doo-dahing in delight.

our legislature is in disarray due to bribering and racketeering. www.adn.com is the link to our newspaper. Vic Kohring (R-Blowhard) is on the front page resigning. There is more there. Hopefully,
this will snare Don Young (R-Blowhole) and Tud's son, Ben. ('Tud' Stevens, the gift that keeps on giving.)

[Steerpike]

23. Already Several Indictments...

and the word is many more to come. I keep waiting for the other 20 or so shoes to drop. The FBI has audio and video tapes on many alaskan leaders.