http://www.alaskareport.com/news11023.htm
9/01/06
4 more warrants issued as criminal probe intensifies after FBI raids
on Alaska legislators; no arrests yet
Juneau, Alaska
By Dennis Zaki - AlaskaReport.com
The FBI served four more search warrants today in its investigation of
the relationship between lawmakers and oilfield services company VECO
Corporation, an Anchorage-based oil field services and construction
company whose executives are major contributors to political
campaigns.
Bill Allen, owner of VECO, and his firm, were involved in a renovation
of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens' chalet in Girdwood in the recent past.
The Associated Press is reporting that the search warrants seek "from
the period of October 2005 to the present, any and all documents
concerning, reflecting or relating to proposed legislation in the
state of Alaska involving either the creation of a natural gas
pipeline or the petroleum production tax."
An Anchorage FBI spokesman says that about two dozen search warrants
have been executed so far, including three today in Anchorage and one
in Willow.
No arrests have been made as of yet.
AlaskaReport has learned that a staffer in one of the offices raided
has been providing information to federal authorities.
In an interview with KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Wev Shea, a former U.S.
attorney for Alaska says he knows who created the climate that he
alleges allowed corruption to flourish.
"The Republican Party is going to rue the day in this state for
allowing Randy Ruedrich (chairman of the Republican Party of Alaska)
to remain as a chair. He's bringing this party down and it's bad."
KTUU also interviewed Rep. Eric Croft.
He says he saw this coming two years ago, during a legislative
committee meeting concerning VECO’s pitch for a sole-source contract
award for a private prison.
"I said at the time, in 2004, on the Whittier proposal, someone's
going to jail over this 'cause I could see how corrupt the process
was," said Croft, D-Anchorage.
Related Stories:
AlaskaReport.com has uncovered exclusive information about the FBI -
IRS raids in Alaska yesterday
http://www.alaskareport.com/news11020.htm
Alaska Senate president Ben Stevens has accepted bribes from seafood
processors, according to Ray Metcalfe, Chairman of the Republican
Moderate Party 6/26/06 http://www.alaskareport.com/benstevens10044.htm
Ted Stevens & Corruption: Move Over Duke Cunningham
http://www.alaskareport.com/stephen-taufen30009.htm
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