It's hard to believe it's been a month since Alaska State Senator John Cowdery (R) was indicted on charges of bribery and corruption.

He proclaimed his innocence at the time, and now, after getting his arraignment postponed, he's finally made his plea official.

From the Anchorage Daily News:

An Anchorage state senator with ties to disgraced oil field services company Veco Corp. pleaded not guilty to federal counts of bribery and conspiracy. John Cowdery, 78, was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court. His trial was set for Oct. 6.

He was arraigned on charges of conspiring to bribe a fellow state senator with $25,000 in Veco money.

If the name VECO sounds familiar, it should. It's the same oil field services company behind the recent indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK).

VECO's a gravy train that a number of Alaskan politicians rode straight to jail.