lkmcgann May 8, 2007, 12:11 PM

Roll Call (sub req.) and the Anchorage Daily News named Ben Stevens, son of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), as one of the unidentified legislators involved in the VECO cash-for-favors corruption scheme. According to charges filed Friday against two top executives at the oil company, Stevens’ company allegedly received $243,250 for consulting fees that were “in fact for the purpose of obtaining (Stevens’) official support on matters pending before the Alaska State Legislature.” Ben’s dad, Sen. Stevens, is pals with one of the executives, Bill J. Allen, who pled guilty to bribery charges yesterday. The two men belong to a group that bought a race horse named “So Long Birdie,” for a bargain-basement price of $40,000 in 2005.

Allen and his wife also have hosted numerous fundraising events for Stevens, as well as his fellow members of the Alaska delegation, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) and Rep. Don Young (R). A preliminary review of campaign finance records shows Allen and other executives at VECO have made $206,900 in campaign contributions to the Alaska delegation, with more than $72,000 of that total going to Ted Stevens.

Ted Stevens does not seem to be on prosecutors’ radar screen in the corruption investigation.

Ted Stevens, Veco