Republican Senator Charged in Scheme to Hide Oil Firm Gifts

Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, a legendary political figure closely tied to the rough-and-tumble history of his home state, and who wields outsize influence over federal spending, was indicted on Tuesday on seven felony counts of failing to disclose gifts that he received from an oil services company.

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia charged Mr. Stevens, who is 84 and the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, with failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts, including extensive renovations to his house in Alaska, a Land Rover and home furnishings on financial disclosure forms that he filed from 1999 to 2006.

The indictment said that Mr. Stevens â??knowingly and willfully engaged in a scheme to concealâ?� the gifts he received from the VECO Corporation, once one of Alaskaâ??s largest oil field contractors, and its former chief executive, William J. Allen, who last year pleaded guilty in the case. And it comes nearly a year to the day after F.B.I. agents raided the senatorâ??s home as part of a long-running and expansive public corruption investigation in Alaska.

Mr. Stevens was informed of the indictment through a telephone call to his lawyer on Tuesday morning and was allowed to surrender instead of being arrested. He was expected to make an initial appearance in Washington before a federal judge, Emmet G. Sullivan, once a hearing is scheduled.

Mr. Stevens declared his innocence and his intention to fight the charges against him in a statement posted on his Web site. â??I am innocent of these charges and intend to prove that,â?� he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/wa...342&ei=5087%0A

I'll be interesting to see what sort of fine/ jail time this person will get. IF guilty....send out a message that this will NOT be tolorated!!

Have a good one!:s4:

Hey P4B this guy is going to get a slap on the wrist and thats about all. They will say hes to old to go to jail and he was a good senator LOL and we think he learned his lesson. They will also slap a fine on him and ask him to step down from his senate seat.:rasta::rastasmoke::pimp:

is it really a gift if you have to report it?


this is stupid.

P4B what that surprises you that a political figure takes bribes cutbacks whatever,they all do it and when they get caught they get a slap on the wrist.I know a few land developers in my city and they all tell me if you want to put up a new sub-division in my city you have to give the city councillor of that area 30-50 thousand in a paper bag to get approval.The developers dont say anything cause they just pass the cost onto the consumer and if they did say something to LEO then they wouldnt work in this city again.So its just the cost of doing buisness.So i just assume all poloticians are the same

^ Yeah I would say a very large portion of government officials abuse their power and take bribes and such.

The government has gotten so big it can't even get out of its own way.

Rebgirl how true its the facts of life and if i was in the same situation id do the same thing....money you cant have enough baby

I certainly wouldn't.

It would be an absolute honor to be involved with the government. I am amazed and baffled at the greatness of my country. And to have a role in deciding its fate would be fantastic.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fishman3811

P4B what that surprises you that a political figure takes bribes cutbacks whatever,they all do it and when they get caught they get a slap on the wrist.

---

I wouldn't say that they ALL do it but this surely doesn't suprise me. What does is the response from people in Alaska that I saw on t.v.! They said that he was a great man and that he still had their full support. Oh well....reminds me of that pic with an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other.

Have a good one!:s4:

Its funny how these type of actions don't get much press anymore. Just another day at the office I guess. Sad to think how routine this has all become for us. That some crooked congressman gets caught and nobody's surprised.

P4B well i think its just a fact of life politicians will take bribes and when they get caught people will just shrug there shoulders.I think people have just come to expect the worst and quite often they dont dissapoint us with there behavior ranging from hookers to money.

when will people learn that simplicity is the key to freedom?

all these big governments and corporations only serve to cause difficulty in living, and create stress, corruption, and slavery.


WE ARE ALL SLAVES TO THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR BILL!


fucking makes me physically and mentally ILL!!!