Stevens guilty on seven counts

October 27, 4:59 PMProgressive Politics ExaminerJay McDonough

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Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska was found guilty today on seven counts of failing to report more than a quarter million dollars in improper gifts. 

The heart of the government’s case against Stevens centered on the nearly total overhaul of Stevens’ home in Girdwood, Alaska, during 2000-2001. Bill Allen, a close Stevens’ friend and former CEO of VECO Corp., an Alaska oil-field services company, paid for much of the renovation work and used VECO employees to carry it out. That work cost more than $180,000, and Stevens never paid for it or reported it on his annual financial disclosure forms..

But Stevens claimed he paid more than $160,000 to other contractors for the home renovation project. He also said that any VECO employees working on the remodeling were not working for VECO, but rather were employed by him.

Stevens and his wife, Catherine Stevens, said she handled the couple’s finances and the senator was not closely involved in the remodeling.

The verdict was also a huge win for the Justice Department, especially Brenda Morris, the lead prosecutor in the case, and her team of lawyers and investigators. Even investigating a lawmaker of Stevens’ standing and reputation was a risky proposition, much less indicting and convicting him. Justice Deptartment officials, however, insist that they are willing to take on any public-corruption case, no matter who is involved, and today’s verdict will certainly buttress that claim.

Steven's sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 25, 2009.  Senator Stevens is in the middle of a tight re-election campaign.  There have been calls, given the conviction, for the Senator to resign from the Senate.  He could also be expelled from the Senate.