Former Veco chief executive Bill Allen and a Veco vice president, Rick Smith, won’t have to worry about prison again until at least June 30, when federal prosecutors will present another status report on their cooperation in the long-running FBI investigation.
U.S. District Judge John Sedwick accepted the most recent status report, filed under seal Tuesday by prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Anchorage. He agreed to allow the filing in secret “because it relates to on-going investigations,” he wrote in an order.
Sedwick’s order was the fifth time he has delayed se
ntencing and asked for status reports since the two men pleaded guilty in May 2007 to corrupting Alaska legislators. Their trial testimony has since led to guilty verdicts against two legislators and former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.
Federal guidelines entitle Allen and Smith to shorter sentences if they continue to cooperate until they are no longer needed. The latest delay is the strongest indication yet that the government is still pursuing its investigation despite setbacks following the Stevens conviction, including an FBI agent who claimed another agent and prosecutors violated Justice Department policy and may have broken the law.
The four-month delay before the next status report is substantially shorter than the previous delay, which was seven months. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Bottini said there was nothing significant about the disparity other than the belief of prosecutors that the judge preferred a shorter period. Two earlier delays were three months each, and a third was sixth months.
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