TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

'No Paper Trail' In Stevens' Home Job

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

Published: September 27, 2008

WASHINGTON - While reviewing expense reports for a 2000 construction project, a bookkeeper for Alaska oil services giant VECO Corp. asked for an explanation. Who was this work for, she asked? Why was it performed?

The cryptic note she received back included the instruction, "No paper trail."
Federal prosecutors said the note, introduced as evidence Friday at Sen. Ted Stevens' corruption trial, was part of a scheme by Stevens and VECO founder Bill Allen to conceal more than $250,000 in home renovations and other gifts that the contractor bestowed on the Senate's longest-serving Republican.

Bookkeeper Cheryl Boomershine testified Friday that VECO employees submitted invoices and expense reports for the project in Girdwood, a ski town south of Anchorage where VECO didn't normally work.

When she requested details, she said she got little information back. The note listed only one reason for the secrecy: "per Bill Allen."

The unusual project was a dramatic renovation of Stevens' home and has become the centerpiece of his gift-giving trial. Prosecutors said Stevens withheld the free renovations from his Senate disclosure forms.

Stevens, 84, has seen both his influence and re-election prospects weakened by the case. His lawyers said he was a busy senator who couldn't oversee every aspect of the project and who, like every homeowner, paid bills that came in - $160,000 in all.

But VECO employees testifying Friday painted a picture of a project that was far from normal. They described being pulled off their regular jobs and being dispatched to the senator's house.

"We were working 10 hours a day, six days a week," said Roy Dettmer, a VECO electrician who said he overhauled the electrical system, installed electrical fixtures and rewired the house.
Dettmer estimated he worked 400 hours on the job at a rate of up to $29 an hour, plus overtime. Every morning, he said, he clocked in at another VECO job site, then headed out to work on Stevens' house.

Other employees said they installed a custom steel staircase, a balcony, a new roof and more. Prosecutors said Stevens didn't pay for that work. The only bills he paid were for an independent carpenter. They said he must have known that didn't cover the whole project.

Stevens' lawyer said his client was in the dark about the renovations project and blamed Allen for "devious" gift-giving that landed the senator in trouble. Stevens said that since he had no idea he was getting free work, he couldn't have disclosed it on Senate forms.

Allen has pleaded guilty to bribing Alaska lawmakers and is the government's star witness. He is expected to take the stand Monday.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT