Allen gets 3 years in prison, $750,000 fine

ADN ^ | October 28th, 2009 01:18 PM | SEAN COCKERHAM, RICHARD MAUER and LISA DEMER

[skeptoid]

Bill Allen, the central figure in Alaska's public corruption scandal, was sentenced this morning to three years in prison fined $750,000. U.S. District Judege John Sedwick acknowledged Allen's cooperation with the long-running federal investigation. Allen pleaded guilty to bribery, conspiracy and tax violations more than two years ago and since then has been a key witness in a string of high-profile corruption trials.

[skeptoid]

SNIP - - Five state legislators and U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens were charged with crimes related to their dealings with Allen. Three were convicted by juries, two pleaded guilty and one is awaiting trial. Stevens, one of those convicted, was freed when a judge said prosecutors engaged in misconduct in his trial.

[Achilles Heel]

Anyone know the status of the investigation per ordered by the judge—as to who set up the deliberate false infor. on Stevens?

[skeptoid]

I don't know, but here are six candidates.

[La Lydia]

Brenda Morris, lead prosecutor in Stevens case, asked for and received a transfer to Atlanta. William Welch, the guy who headed the Public Integrity Section at Justice and who supervised the Stevens prosecution, is returning to Boston this week, where he will concentrate on state government “integrity.” They both remain the subject of an ongoing probe by the department’s internal ethics investigators and a separate criminal investigation launched by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who presided over the Stevens trial, and who is rumored to be steaming, explosively mad.

[muawiyah]

Welch is the guy with the Chicago connection (Northwestern U). Using the current standard of political corruption analysis, you look first for those Chicago connections.

If McCain were President we'd use a different standard, but in this case I think it's only fair to look to Chicago.

By zapping Senator Stevens Welch made it possible for Perpich, a guy with IMMENSE 48-Democrat connections, to win.

[Achilles Heel]

Thanks for the information. It seems to be taking awhile—I hope the judge’s separate criminal investigation has some teeth.

[muawiyah]

CORRECTION ~ Welch is the guy with the Chicago connection (Northwestern U). Using the current standard of political corruption analysis, you look first for those Chicago connections.

If McCain were President we'd use a different standard, but in this case I think it's only fair to look to Chicago.

By zapping Senator Stevens Welch made it possible for Begich, a guy with IMMENSE 48-Democrat connections, to win.

Digging through the open public record I could not help but notice that he has a Croatian paternal grandfather named John Begich ~ and that right there ties him into one of the dominant groups that underly CHICAGO CORRUPTION.

We probably need to do a little bit more work on this to see how strong those ties are, but his father, that particular Croat immigrant's son, was riding in a plane with Hale Boggs, a major member of the Democrat power elite in Congress, when it went down on its way to Alaska.

Not just everybody got to ride with Hale!

[La Lydia]

I am not holding my breath. There was definitely prosecutorial malfeasance. It remains to be seen if anything will be done about it, and Stevens is no longer in the Senate, which was the idea all along. Bush DOJ campaign contributions went 2-1 for Obama. See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2223280/posts

[ASOC]

Odd, not a word that the “Star” witnes had chanrges hanging over him for a nasty sex with juvies/dope scandel that the Feds held at bay while their boy was trashing the opposition.

Also odd that the local cops would let the Feds push them around - after all Allen would have gotten 20+ years for giving 13 Y/O girls drugs in exchange for sex.....

And if Allen had been convicted - he value to the Feds would have been - Zip.

SO the local cops played ball. I have to wonder if the Mayor called the hosts on this one...you know, the Mayor -

MArk Beg-ich.

Yup, support the Feds and get the sitting Senator screwed so you can have his seat.

IS America wonderful ot what?

/disgust

[skeptoid]

Your commentary sounds right to me.

I cannot pretend to understand how the scenario of which you remind us could ever have taken place; but Uncle Ted was unquestionably 'playing ball' with these executive low-lifes, and the really reprehensible aspect is that he didn't do anything out of the ordinary.
Ted Stevens was singled out of his peers for special scrutiny.

But he is rightfully gone; he WAS corrupt.

It's a classic case from which to argue Term Limits, IMHO.

[ASOC]

???

Ted was accused of several things
Trading a Mustang for a newer Britmobile - he got screwed on that

Not paying for work at the house, LOCAL contractors say he got screwed on that (180K for work worth a lot less)

He didn't fill out some Senate Forms on time or correctly - Charlie Rangel (nuff sed)

Ted DID do some things

He got funding for F22s that Rummy tried to kill (BTW, no parts for any military A/C is made in Alaska)

An additional Stryker Battalion for the Army (make your own call, I'm partial to heavy armor myself)

The list of things he pushed to thru to support military folks is long.

Is Ted pure as the driven snow? - hardly. Compaired to the others in the Senate, I would say he is pretty 'clean', about the best you hope for these days I suppose.

In the end, all that happened as our Justice system was trashed, faith in the Gov't driven to new low and folks found out that you can BUY a seat in the seante, just ask Mark what it cost him....