Alaska News

Alaska corruption: Ted Stevens' prosecutors getting their day in court

Legal Times is reporting that two prosecutors connected to the botched federal prosecution of the late Sen. Ted Stevens are attempting to lift a finding that held them in contempt of court.

The charge was issued by U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan in early 2009, when lead prosecutors Brenda Morris and William Welch refused to hand over information relating to the complaints of whistle-blower and FBI agent Chad Joy. Their case will be heard in October.

Joy alleged prosecutorial misconduct in Alaska's broad corruption investigation, an investigation that's still ongoing. Among other things, Joy claimed the the lead FBI agent on the case, Mary Beth Kepner, acted unethically with witnesses, particularly the star witness, Bill Allen.

Allen is the former head of the Alaska oil services company VECO Corp., now owned by a Denver-based firm. In 2007, he pleaded guilty of bribing Alaska state lawmakers. Allen was also in charge of remodeling Stevens' home, work that prosecutors alleged that Stevens didn't disclose on necessary senate forms. Stevens was found guilty of the charges in late 2008.

Joy, the former FBI agent, alleged the prosecutors, including Morris and Welch, acted unethically by sending a witness home early who might have helped Stevens' defense and knowingly failed to disclose other required information to the defense. Eventually, the prosecution did provide the material the judge requested, and when they did so, the judge lifted the contempt charges but did not vacate the initial order.

The Justice Department subsequently removed the legal team, including Welch and Morris, from the case. It was information provided to the defense by the new team that ultimately resulted in Judge Sullivan tossing Stevens' convictions.

"In 25 years on the bench, I've never seen anything approaching the mishandling and misconduct that I've seen in this case," U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said at the time. "When the government does not meet its obligation to turn over evidence, the system falters."

ADVERTISEMENT

The judge ordered an independent investigation into the mishandling of the case, and Welch and Morris remain under criminal investigation.

Both Welch and Morris still work as federal prosecutors.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amanda(at)alaskadispatch.com.

ADVERTISEMENT