Court Document Ties Rep. Don Young to Alaska Corruption

 by Rachel D’Oro

10/24/09

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Documents filed in federal court directly link U.S. Rep. Don Young to a wide-ranging investigation of corruption in Alaska for the first time.

The state’s only representative in the House is identified as “United States Representative A” in the documents filed in connection with the sentencing next week of Bill Allen, a key figure in the corruption probes of state lawmakers and former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.

The filing late Wednesday alleges Young, a 19-term Republican, illegally received gifts totaling up to nearly $200,000 over 13 years from VECO Corp., Allen’s now-defunct oil field services company.

Young’s attorney did not return a call seeking comment Friday, and spokeswoman Meredith Kenny said the congressman’s office could not comment.

According to the document, Allen and former VECO vice president Rick Smith authorized corporate funds to pay up to $15,000 a year for expenses associated with Young’s annual pig roast fundraiser between 1993 and 2006.

Allen also alleges in his 2007 “confession of additional criminal activity” that Smith used Allen’s credit card to buy a set of golf clubs valued at $1,000 that were given to Young.

Young, 76, has been under investigation by federal authorities for more than two years, but the filing is the first related public document from the government. Young has denied any wrongdoing and repeatedly declined to speak on the matter, citing advice of his lawyers. His campaign has spent more than $1 million on his legal expenses.

After the federal investigation surfaced, Young amended his campaign finance reports to show he reimbursed Allen about $38,000 for fundraiser expenses.

Allen, 72, and Smith, 64, are scheduled to be sentenced for their 2007 guilty pleas to bribery, conspiracy and tax charges. A federal judge on Thursday denied Allen’s request to postpone sentencing until February.

Allen was the lead witness in the botched corruption trial of Stevens, who was found guilty last fall of failing to disclose gifts from Allen. He and Smith also testified during the federal corruption trials of former state House Speaker Pete Kott, R-Eagle River, and former Rep. Vic Kohring, R-Wasilla.

Charges against the 85-year-old Stevens were thrown out in April after the Justice Department admitted that prior to trial it failed to turn over evidence favorable to the defense. The same issue resulted in the release of Kott and Kohring from prison while a judge decides whether to drop charges or order new trials.                          CONTINUED HERE.