It’s tough being friends with someone under federal criminal investigation.
That’s what Bob Persons says. The longtime friend of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) testified before a grand jury last fall about his involvement in the Veco-overseen renovations of Stevens’ home, because he’d been the one to keep tabs on the job while Stevens was in Washington. News of Persons’ testimony put him in local and national media stories about the Alaska corruption probe and soiled his good name, he told the Turnagain Times in an interview.
Persons has largely stayed quiet during the investigation, but he wanted to let his neighbors know he isn’t a bad guy. In the interview with the Turnaround Times he revealed that he is the “Secret Santa” who has provided the needy children of Girdwood with presents each Christmas for the last 25 years.
He’s also racked up $35,000 in legal fees recently.
“This is kind of embarrassing for me,” Persons said. “I’ve kept quiet for 25 years (as “Secret Santa”) and once I got caught up in the investigation, I wanted to stand up. I don’t want my reputation that I’ve built up over 25 years being sullied by an investigation. Things that are unproven, things that nobody knows.”
When news broke that Persons testified and produced documents, I tried getting in touch with him at his Girdwood restaurant, The Double Musky Inn. I didn’t have any luck.
