29 letter writers attempt to lighten Kott's sentence

The bad stuff wasn't him, it was the booze, said one.

He's a good man, an involved father and grandfather, a good son to his 82-year-old mother, who is in poor health, said others.

They portray him as generous and compassionate, not someone looking out for himself. His flooring business required hard, physical labor and he did it free for friends. Even the money he was convicted of taking as bribes mainly went to others, some said.

A former legislative aide, Patrick Harman, wrote that Kott was corrupted not by money, but by alcohol. In his trial, prosecutors played recordings of Kott plotting with Veco Corp. executives after he had been drinking, sometimes heavily.

"If I were to numerically judge his rapid decline from Speaker of the House to common drunk, he would earn a perfect 10," Harman wrote.

A federal jury in September convicted Kott, 58, of bribery, conspiracy and extortion for his role in pushing an oil tax favored by North Slope oil producers. In exchange, he received nearly $9,000, a political poll for his re-election campaign and the promise of a job, all from Veco Corp. and its two top executives, according to testimony from the trial.

Prosecutors want U.S. District Judge John Sedwick to put Kott away for more than 10 years. The defense is asking for no more than 33 months.

Kott represented Eagle River for seven terms in the House, including one as speaker. He lost in the Republican primary last year. He now lives in Juneau.

In all, 29 people wrote in to support Kott.

"Pete was once one of the most influential politicians in Alaska; today he has lost his career, his marriage, his integrity, his reputation, and disappointed many, including myself," Harman wrote.

The former aide urged the judge to require that Kott get alcohol treatment and be allowed to pay back society through public service, not a stint in prison, maybe by teaching ethics classes to politicians.

"The monies that Pete received were, in reality, pretty meager. Personally, I believe he 'sold his vote' for alcohol," Harman wrote.

Last year, Kott's daughter, Pamela, a former Miss Alaska USA and model, was bitten in the face by a friend's boxer. "Mr. Kott took time to console me as I was in tears ... being ever so fatherly to me and looking back, I appreciate it," Audrey Burke wrote to the judge.

Burke said she became friends with Pamela when both worked as Alaska Airlines flight attendants. Kott was many attendants' favorite legislator, she wrote.

Former legislative candidate Earl Mayo, who along with his wife owns the How How restaurant and Ramada Inn in Muldoon, wrote that he and Kott are good friends going back 17 years. When Mayo needed to fix up a house to sell, Kott spent a month doing the interior work and "never asked for anything in return." Same thing when they did the interior of the How How, Mayo wrote.

Kott even accompanied the Mayos to Stanford Hospital when his wife needed treatment there, Mayo wrote.

The hard-drinking, cussing man seen on the FBI surveillance tapes isn't who Kott really is, several letter writers said.

"The real Pete is a model of decorum and respect," Debra Stovern, his girlfriend, wrote to the judge. "He normally treats people with kindness, speaks kindly, and does not use profane language."

Kott -- Scotty to his family -- was born in Flint, Mich. His parents had a stormy marriage and his younger brother Michael grew up in "fear for his mother's safety," wrote Michael's wife, Elizabeth. Kott took on a fatherly role toward Michael and helped him turn out to be a good man. Kott was the cornerstone of the family and still is, Michael Kott wrote. When their mother was ill with cancer in 2001, Kott spent nights with her at the hospital and stayed with her at home as she recovered. She's now ill again.

Kott joined the Air Force, turned the military into a career, got college degrees along the way, and retired after 22 years as a captain.

Former Rep. Bill Williams, a Republican from Ketchikan, described how fair and dedicated Kott was in the Legislature, no matter who he was dealing with. There was also an element of charm.

"When he spoke, you would have to listen very carefully due to his sense of humor that he used constructively to change the views of others without causing resentment," Williams wrote. Kott also did the floors in Williams' home, at the cost of the materials.

As for the bribes, he didn't get much, according to his lawyer.

Kott received $1,000 from Veco's Bill Allen in cash, but it was to reimburse him for a contribution he made to then-Gov. Frank Murkowski's campaign, Kott's lawyer, Jim Wendt, argues in his sentencing memorandum.

And the $7,993 paid by Allen through an inflated flooring invoice went to Kott's son so the younger Peter Kott could work on his dad's campaign, Wendt wrote.

Another $5,000 Kott received from Allen -- which Kott testified was a loan not ever repaid -- shouldn't be counted at all since Allen never testified about it, Wendt maintained. And the promised job wasn't worth nearly as much as the government contended, Wendt wrote.

The sentencing hearing begins today at 8:30 a.m.

Find Lisa Demer online at adn.com/contact/ldemer or call 257-4390.