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September 14, 2007
Oil Exec: Workers Remodeled Stevens Home
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 2:51 p.m. ET
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- The former head of an oil field services company
admitted Friday that he had employees work for several months on remodeling
the home of Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.
Ex-VECO Corp. CEO Bill Allen discussed the work while testifying in the
corruption trial of former state House Speaker Pete Kott.
Allen and former VECO Vice President Rick Smith pleaded guilty in May to
extortion, conspiracy and bribery of legislators.
Under cross-examination by Kott's defense attorney James Wendt, Allen
acknowledged that the more than $400,000 he admitted spending in the bribery
charge was for other legislators -- and for work done at Stevens' home in
Girdwood.
''I don't think there was a lot of materials,'' Allen said. ''There was some
labor.''
The workers were VECO employees, probably one to four at a time, Allen said.
He said the work might have taken as much as six months.
The remodeling work in 2000 more than doubled the size of the house, a
four-bedroom structure that is Stevens' official residence in Alaska.
Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, has said while the
contracting bills were first sent to VECO for accuracy checks, he paid for
the work.
A message left Friday at Stevens' office in Washington was not immediately
returned.
Allen said he also gave Stevens some old, used furniture, and Allen visited
the site every month or two. ''Most of the time I was gone with VECO
business,'' Allen said.
Allen said the company paid $4,000 per month to Stevens' son, Ben, whom
Allen had hired as a consultant in 1995. The consulting work continued after
Ben Stevens was appointed to the Alaska state Senate in 2002.
Oil Exec: Workers Remodeled Stevens Home
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 2:51 p.m. ET
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- The former head of an oil field services company
admitted Friday that he had employees work for several months on remodeling
the home of Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.
Ex-VECO Corp. CEO Bill Allen discussed the work while testifying in the
corruption trial of former state House Speaker Pete Kott.
Allen and former VECO Vice President Rick Smith pleaded guilty in May to
extortion, conspiracy and bribery of legislators.
Under cross-examination by Kott's defense attorney James Wendt, Allen
acknowledged that the more than $400,000 he admitted spending in the bribery
charge was for other legislators -- and for work done at Stevens' home in
Girdwood.
''I don't think there was a lot of materials,'' Allen said. ''There was some
labor.''
The workers were VECO employees, probably one to four at a time, Allen said.
He said the work might have taken as much as six months.
The remodeling work in 2000 more than doubled the size of the house, a
four-bedroom structure that is Stevens' official residence in Alaska.
Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, has said while the
contracting bills were first sent to VECO for accuracy checks, he paid for
the work.
A message left Friday at Stevens' office in Washington was not immediately
returned.
Allen said he also gave Stevens some old, used furniture, and Allen visited
the site every month or two. ''Most of the time I was gone with VECO
business,'' Allen said.
Allen said the company paid $4,000 per month to Stevens' son, Ben, whom
Allen had hired as a consultant in 1995. The consulting work continued after
Ben Stevens was appointed to the Alaska state Senate in 2002.
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