Senator A, according to the ADN is Democrat Donnie Olson of Nome. Like the other Department of Justice press releases, when talking about convictions, it only mentions the charges that the defendants were found guilty on, not the ones where the defendants were acquitted.FOR IMMEDIATE CRM
THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2008 (202) 514-2007
WWW.USDOJ.GOV TDD (202) 514-1888
ALASKA STATE SENATOR INDICTED ON PUBLIC CORRUPTION CHARGES
WASHINGTON–John Cowdery, a current member of the Alaska state Senate, was indicted on charges arising out of a federal investigation into public corruption in the state of Alaska, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich for the Criminal Division announced today.
A two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Anchorage on July 9, 2008, charges Cowdery with one count of bribery and one count of conspiracy. The indictment alleges that Cowdery and his co-conspirators, including Bill J. Allen, the former chief executive officer of VECO Corporation, and Richard L. Smith, VECO’s former vice president, corruptly offered and agreed to give financial benefits to another state legislator (State Senator A) to influence and reward State Senator A in exchange for State Senator A agreeing to perform official acts as a member of the Alaska State Legislature.
The indictment specifically alleges that VECO Corporation, which at the time was a multinational oil services corporation, had a significant financial interest in contracts with oil producers in Alaska and, consequently, supported certain oil and gas legislation pending in the Alaska state legislature in 2006. The indictment further alleges that, in exchange for $25,000 – characterized as political campaign contributions – Cowdery, Allen, Smith and others sought an agreement with State Senator A that would require State Senator A to vote in favor of the oil and gas legislation favored by VECO. Cowdery and the alleged co-conspirators agreed to this plan, according to the indictment, through a series of telephone calls and in-person meetings.
If convicted, Cowdery faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the bribery count and a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy count, as well as a maximum $250,000 fine for each count.
An indictment is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.
To date, there have been seven criminal convictions arising out of the ongoing investigation into public corruption in the state of Alaska. 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. Four other individuals, including Allen and Smith, have pleaded guilty to felony public corruption charges.
This case is being prosecuted by 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 ongoing investigation is being led by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.
The ADN has a lot of material up on their website and Cowdery's Attorney's Statement and Governor Palin's statements come from their links. I'll look through the indictment and see what's of interest in their and perhaps post the whole thing. You can double click to enlarge the images below.
And here's the Governor's statement asking Cowdery to step down from his Senate seat.
Hmmm. Do you think the Governor had anything specific in mind when she wrote these words? Look carefully for the hidden message.
Today’s news is A Good reminder that we must continue to be vigilant In defending Alaska's sovereignty against those who would undermine it in an attempt to sell out Alaskans. As we move forward, let me remind everyone that this administration is committed to putting Alaskans and their interests first, as we develop our resources in a responsible and ethical manner.
Obstacle Free, that could be her new mantra....
ReplyDeleteDo you think that he'll get time? Does it bother you that all these convicted people will have to serve only half of their sentence?
ReplyDeleteThat depends on the jury and whether Cowdery's health lasts long enough.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by half their sentence? That there are provisions that take time off the sentence for good behavior and attending alcohol rehabilitation programs? No, that doesn't bother me - that's available to all.
I'm not sure prisons are a very good option - at least not US prisons. Though the minimum security prisons apparently aren't too bad. No amount of prison time will undo the damage they've done. I don't think it will change their minds about their guilt.
But it does tell others, at least while all this is fresh, to be careful. There's a reason the FBI likes the media to take pictures of these people in shackles. That moment of humiliation is the most powerful message to current legislators. When they see someone they've sat next to, had lunch with, etc. it has make a real impression.