Ted Stevens GUILTY

[sealybobo]

Sen. Stevens convicted on corruption charges - Capitol Hill - MSNBC.com


Even with all the Federal Prosecutors being loyal Bushies, Ted still found guilty!!! Gotta love it!!

WASHINGTON - Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was convicted of corruption charges Monday in a trial that tainted the 40-year Senate career of Alaska's political patriarch.

Stevens, 84, was convicted of all seven charges he faced of lying about free home renovations and other gifts he received from a wealthy oil contractor. Jurors began deliberating Wednesday at noon.

Stevens faces up to five years in prison on each count when he is sentenced Jan. 26, but under federal sentencing guidelines, he is likely to receive much less prison time, if any.

 

[xaxeptance449]

Stevens Found Guilty in Corruption Case By MATT APUZZO and JESSE J. HOLLAND, AP
posted: 4 MINUTES AGOcomments: 42filed under: Crime News, Political NewsPrintShareText SizeAAAWASHINGTON (Oct. 27) - Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was convicted of seven corruption charges Monday in a trial that tainted the 40-year Senate career of Alaska's political patriarch.
A Senator on TrialGerald Herbert, AP10 photos Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, here leaving Federal Court in Washington Monday, was found guilty in a corruption trial. The political patriarch was convicted of all seven charges he faced of lying about free home renovations and other gifts he received from a wealthy oil contractor.(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)

The verdict, coming just days before Election Day, adds further uncertainty to a closely watched Senate race. Democrats hope to seize the once reliably Republican seat as part of their bid for a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
Stevens, 84, was convicted of all seven charges he faced of lying about free home renovations and other gifts he received from a wealthy oil contractor. Jurors began deliberating Wednesday at noon.
Stevens faces up to five years in prison on each count when he is sentenced Jan. 26, but under federal sentencing guidelines, he is likely to receive much less prison time, if any.
The monthlong trial revealed that employees for oil services company VECO Corp. transformed the senator's modest mountain cabin into a modern, two-story home with wraparound porches, a sauna and a wine cellar. Stevens never paid for VECO's work.
The Senate's longest-serving Republican, Stevens said he had no idea he was getting freebies. He said he paid $160,000 for the project and said he believed that covered everything.
Stevens asked for an unusually speedy trial, hoping he'd be exonerated in time to return to Alaska and win re-election. He kept his campaign going and gave no indication that he had a contingency plan in case of conviction.
Despite being a convicted felon, he is not required to drop out of the race or resign from the Senate. If he wins re-election, he can continue to hold his seat because there is no rule barring felons from serving in Congress. The Senate could vote to expel Stevens on a two-thirds vote.
"Put this down: That will never happen — ever, OK?" Stevens said in the weeks leading up to his trial. "I am not stepping down. I'm going to run through and I'm going to win this election.
Democrats, who are hoping to capture a filibuster-proof Senate majority, have jumped at the chance to seize the once reliably Republican seat. They have invested heavily in the race, running television advertisements starring fictional FBI agents and featuring excerpts from wiretaps.
Stevens' conviction hinged on the testimony of Bill Allen, the senator's longtime drinking and fishing buddy. Allen, the founder of VECO, testified that he never billed his friend for the work on the house and that Stevens knew he was getting a deal.
Stevens spent three days on the witness stand, vehemently denying that allegation. He said his wife, Catherine, paid every bill they received.
Living in Washington, thousands of miles away, made it impossible to monitor the project every day. Stevens relied on Allen to oversee the renovations, he said, and his friend deceived him by not forwarding all the bills.
Stevens is a legendary figure in Alaska, where he has wielded political influence since before statehood. His knack for steering billions of dollars in federal money to his home state has drawn praise from his constituents and consternation from budget hawks.
http://news.aol.com/article/stevens-found-guilty-in-corruption-case/227428

 

[jillian]

Not all the federal prosecutors. Don't think that people don't do their jobs. They do. And a good prosecutor is a good prosecutor.

 

[xaxeptance449]

Makes the 60 majority much more of a reality?

 

[WillowTree]

 

[doeton]

 

[xaxeptance449]

And another one bites the dust? I have to think he may not serve any time at all, however a conviction is still a conviction.

 

[WillowTree]

Anything to make the libwals happy! anything at all.

 

[sealybobo]

Not all the federal prosecutors. Don't think that people don't do their jobs. They do. And a good prosecutor is a good prosecutor.

More than wondering what the 8 US Attorneys wouldn't do for Bush, I wonder what the others did go along with in order to keep their jobs.

Bush fired those 8 because they wouldn't do his political bidding. I can only assume the others WOULD do his political bidding.

Remember, Bush lied about why they were fired. Had he just kept his mouth shut, no one could have questioned his decision, even though the timing was suspecious. But the White House said they let them go because of job performance. And that wasn't true. That's why the 8 came forward to spill the beans. Bush tried throwing them under the bus.

In my opinion, the 8 Bush let go were probably the good ones.

David Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney of New Mexico, talks to NOW about the pressure he says he received from the Justice Department to engage in "unlawful activities," his resistance, and why he believes it cost him his job. This is a longer version of the interview that appeared in the broadcast.

Interview: David Iglesias . NOW | PBS

 

[jillian]

Anything to make the libwals happy! anything at all.

because, of course, he wasn't corrupt, right? nope.. nope and nope.

i'm guessing there were no "liberals" on the jury.

Is spelling difficult for you?

 

[xaxeptance449]

LMAO must not be any righteous neocons online? I wonder what Palin will say? I can just see it now the claims that there was no connection between the Governor of the state and it's Senator. If I didn't know I am awake......., lol

 

[ABikerSailor]

Hopefully they give him the max sentence allowable.

Even if they don't, and Stevens wins the seat, this will prove that Alaskans are stupid for electing a felon.

 

[Truthmatters]

More than wondering what the 8 US Attorneys wouldn't do for Bush, I wonder what the others did go along with in order to keep their jobs.

Bush fired those 8 because they wouldn't do his political bidding. I can only assume the others WOULD do his political bidding.

Remember, Bush lied about why they were fired. Had he just kept his mouth shut, no one could have questioned his decision, even though the timing was suspecious. But the White House said they let them go because of job performance. And that wasn't true. That's why the 8 came forward to spill the beans. Bush tried throwing them under the bus.

In my opinion, the 8 Bush let go were probably the good ones.

David Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney of New Mexico, talks to NOW about the pressure he says he received from the Justice Department to engage in "unlawful activities," his resistance, and why he believes it cost him his job. This is a longer version of the interview that appeared in the broadcast.

Interview: David Iglesias . NOW | PBS

They put an innocent Governor in prison and kept a guilty one out of prison.

 

[WillowTree]

because, of course, he wasn't corrupt, right? nope.. nope and nope.

i'm guessing there were no "liberals" on the jury.

Is spelling difficult for you?

I hath a lisp

 

[USJD]

Maybe he´ll get a pardon on January 19, 2009?

 

[Truthmatters]

Maybe he´ll get a pardon on January 19, 2009?

shit you are probably right

 

[Larkinn]

Not all the federal prosecutors. Don't think that people don't do their jobs. They do. And a good prosecutor is a good prosecutor.

Sort of...theres a lot of talk about how many times these prosecutors fucked up. Supposedly they did a pretty shoddy job of it. And not all federal prosecutors are Republicans, but a disproportionate amount are because of the whole Monica Goodling fiasco.

 

[William Joyce]

And not all federal prosecutors are Republicans, but a disproportionate amount are because of the whole Monica Goodling fiasco.

Only THE U.S. Attorney for any given district is a political appointee... the AUSA's who do all the actual work aren't political. You better believe a lot of them are VERY liberal, themselves.

I thought the Stevens case was crap. I have very little regard for Ted Stevens, but the prosecution of him was based on pretty weak evidence and a not-very-compelling "crime." And the prosecutors seemed to "forget" to hand over a lot of evidence to the defense.

I bet the appeal will be fairly strong, even if unsuccessful.

 

[editec]

What a shame.

And he had such a promising career ahead of him, too.