2nd Veco Exec Testifies to Paying Ben Stevens $250K in “Fees”Bad news for Ben Stevens. Another Veco executive testified in federal court to paying the one-time state Senate President, and son of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), $250,000 in bogus consulting fees.
Former Veco vice president Rick Smith’s testimony came during the trial of state Rep. Vic Kohring (R-AK), accused of accepting bribes from Veco and unsuccessfully trying to get the company to pay off his $17,000 credit card debt. Veco’s Bill Allen previously testified about the bogus consulting fees paid to Stevens, in yet another, earlier Alaska corruption trial.
Kohring’s lawyers have long argued that their client was unfairly netted in an investigation shooting for the two Stevenses. One even told investigators they “dun got the wrong man.” While the younger Stevens was paid nearly a quarter of a million dollars in monthly retainer fess for his lobbying services while in office, Kohring has been charged with accepting $2,600 in cash.
The FBI raided Ben Stevens’ legislative office last year, but he has not been charged with a crime.