Ex-Oil Exec Says He Paid Alaska Lawmaker

[Ghost in the Machine]

Ex-Oil Exec Says He Paid Alaska Lawmaker
Published: 9/12/07, 11:25 PM EDT
By DAN JOLING

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The former head of an oil field services company testified Wednesday that he paid a lawmaker nearly $8,000 to help keep him in office and advocate for the construction of a natural gas pipeline tapping the state's vast North Slope Reserves.

Bill Allen, former chairman of VECO Corp., testified that he paid $7,993 to former House Speaker Pete Kott in an inflated invoice for a flooring job to Kott's business. Kott wanted the extra money so he could hire his son to run his re-election campaign, Allen said.

"He was going to run again and he needed his son to help him," Allen said.

Kott is charged with conspiracy to solicit financial benefits for his service as a legislator, extortion "under color of official right," bribery and wire fraud, which involved improperly discussing legislative business by phone. If convicted of all charges, Kott could face up to 55 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Kott is accused of accepting the inflated invoice, a $1,000 reimbursement for a check Kott gave to the re-election campaign of former Gov. Frank Murkowski and a $2,750 political poll paid for by VECO. Prosecutors say he was also promised a job as a lobbyist for VECO.

http://home.bellsouth.net/s/editorial.dll?bfromind=2728&eeid=5403505&_sitecat=1462&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=-2&ck=&ch=ne

[Justitia]

1. lemme guess....republican? -eom

[kirby]

3. How did you guess?

http://www.akrepublicans.org/kott/index.php

[Ghost in the Machine]

6. LOL!

You must have posted while I was looking! The same link, too! :rofl:

:hi:

[Ghost in the Machine]

4. ever any doubt?

http://www.akrepublicans.org/kott/index.php

:hi:

[Mabus]

2. Did the Viagra/sleeping pill evidence get in?

How about the VECO/CBC hats?

[Ghost in the Machine]

5. I didn't see anything about that in this article... n/t