Stevens Guilty On All Seven Felony Counts

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) -- most senior Senate Republican in history -- has been found guilty of all seven felony charges related to accepting $250,000 in gifts and services from Veco, an Alaska oil services and construction company at the center of the now multi-year corruption probe.

The Hill writes: "The jury did not seem to buy the explanation from Stevens that Allen showered him with gifts he didn't want and was unaware of, and that he believed the $160,000 he gave to another contractor covered all costs for the home renovations."

This changes the prospects for his re-election next week. Earlier this month, Rasmussen put Stevens in a dead-heat with Democratic opponent and Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. At the beginning of October, Begich led Stevens 56% to 39% among "unaffiliated" voters. Should he prevail, this would be Stevens seventh term in the Senate.

The trial resumed Monday with an alternate juror, after a "juror's father died and she had to leave." However, the judge did not tell the other jurors the reason for the alternate. "He also told them they needed to start their deliberations from scratch with the alternate juror but that how they did it was for them to decide."

According to the Anchorage Daily News, Catherine Stevens, the Senator's wife, provided "contradictory testimony that may have persuaded jurors that their conflicting stories meant they were lying or covering up a crime."

The jury's decision -- just before 4.00 pm Eastern -- was handed down shortly after the jury asked the judge about a discrepancy in the charging papers.

In 2001 alone, Stevens is accused of accepting $110,153.64 in materials, labor and other renovation expenses to his home in Girdwood. He also is accused of accepting furniture for that home and a $2,695 massage chair for his home in Washington, D.C. Other gifts prosecutors said he accepted include a new tool cabinet with tools, a new professional Viking gas grill and a stained glass window.

For 2001, Sen. Stevens disclosed a $1,100 gold commemorative coin struck for the 2001 Special Olympics in Alaska. However, the charging documents said he had filed no disclosure form in 2001.

The Anchorage Daily News has devoted a section of its website to the indictment and trial. The Justice Department has now successfully charged nine people in connection with this corruption probe. Other than Stevens, five pleaded guilty, and three were convicted by juries in Alaska. Two more await trial.

• Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens Indicted, 30 July 2008
• Alaska Senator, Representative Under Investigation, 31 July 2007
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