Trio Pleads Not Guilty in Alaska Bribe Case

By Steve Quinn

JUNEAU, Alaska – For several thousand dollars and other promises, an Alaska legislator and two former lawmakers threw their support behind a tax scheme and a natural gas pipeline plan that would have benefited an oil services company, prosecutors said.

The three men, Rep. Victor Kohring of Wasilla, and former state Reps. Pete Kott of Eagle River and Bruce Weyhrauch of Juneau, were arrested Friday, but deny wrongdoing. The three Republicans pleaded not guilty at their arraignments.

Kohring was charged with extortion, attempted extortion, bribery and conspiracy, according to a federal grand jury indictment unsealed Friday. Kott and Weyhrauch each entered their pleas to four counts, including conspiracy to commit extortion, extortion, bribery and fraud. If convicted of all charges, each of the men could face up to 55 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Prosecutors allege that the three were involved in a scheme that unfolded as lawmakers weighed a new petroleum profits tax structure and a contract for a natural gas pipeline last year.

Kott, the former House speaker, explicitly said during a teleconference with company officials that he would support the pipeline and the company’s preferred version of the tax proposal if he was made warden of a prison the company was building in the Caribbean, according to the indictment.

The tax passed, but the contract for the pipeline negotiated by former Gov. Frank Murkowski was never approved.

The indictment does not name the company, but an attorney for VECO Corp. said it is the company involved.

A combined trial for Kott and Weyhrauch was set for July 9 in Anchorage. A trial date was not set for Kohring.

All were to be released Friday on $20,000 bonds.

(c) 2007 Sunday Gazette – Mail; Charleston, W.V.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.