Senator Ted Stevens Indicted

Posted on July 29, 2008

Senator Ted Stevens (R- Alaska) has been indicted on a whole laundry list of bribery and corruption charges. The list includes seven felony counts relating to Stevens' lying to conceal accepting $250,000 in gifts and services from an Alaskan oil company, VECO Corp., that is now defunct.

McClatchyDC reports that the indictment charges that Stevens "made false statements on his annual Senate financial-disclosure statements for the years 2001 through 2006 to conceal gifts from VECO Corp. and its chief executive officer, Bill Allen." McClatchyDC says Stevens could get up to five years in prison plus fines if convicted.

This is part of a long-running corruption investigation in Alaska, so there's no real surprise here. Things are really being shaken up in Alaska politics right now. Rumors are swirling about improper actions taken by Governor Sarah Palin: the allegations are that she got her former brother in law, Trooper Mike Wooten, fired. In fact, they call it Wootengate in the Alaskan press. Palin's name has been bandied about as a possible VP pick for McCain. But now that's looking less likely.