“They Got The Minnow”Prosecutors scored their third conviction of a third former Alaska state lawmaker yesterday, nailing Vic Kohring on three of four counts. He was convicted of taking a couple thousand dollars in bribes from Veco executives and asking for $17,000 more (to pay off credit card debt due to health care bills).
Jurors were united in finding Kohring guilty — and in not feeling good about it:
As they left the Federal Building, jurors looked drained but relieved after roughly nine hours of deliberations over two days. Only a few would talk. They said they anguished over their decision.One, who declined to be identified other than as “juror No. 8,” said “they didn’t get the sharks. They got the minnow.”
Most felt sorry for Kohring and saw him as “a very sympathetic figure,” said Alan Rowe, juror No. 12.
The “sharks” in that metaphor, of course, would have to be the biggest fish in Alaska: Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and his son, Ben.