Anchorage Daily News

The state has filed criminal charges against prominent lobbyist Ashley Reed, alleging he is chronically late filing required reports disclosing his lobbying activities.

Reed is charged with seven misdemeanors, each punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to a year, or both.

The charges, announced by the state Department of Law on Thursday, said the Alaska Public Offices Commission has fined Reed more than $30,000 over the years for late reports.

"Nevertheless, Mr. Reed continues to fail to comply with the reporting deadlines," according to the charging documents.

It's the first time the Department of Law or the state public offices commission can recall pursuing criminal charges against a lobbyist for late disclosures.

Reed said he was stunned to find himself facing potential prison time.

"You know, have I been late in my filings in the past? Yes," Reed said. "But I was shocked and surprised that all of a sudden matters like this are being handled this way. It certainly is a different departure from the way APOC has handled these things for the past quarter of a century."

Reed has been one of Alaska's most influential lobbyists in the halls of the Legislature for 25 years. He's a fixture on the second floor benches in the state Capitol in Juneau, with his cell phone pressed to his ear or chatting with legislators and staff. He came to Alaska from Maryland to manage Bill Sheffield's successful 1982 campaign for governor and decided to stay as a lobbyist.

Reed made $491,376 as a lobbyist last year, according to the state. His 2008 client list includes Cook Inlet Region Inc., the North Slope Borough, the City of Palmer, GCI, Wells Fargo, Enstar and Pepsi.

Reed said he didn't know why the state decided now that this was a criminal matter.

"We've started living in a topsy-turvy world. A lot of friends have called me today with varying speculation but I can't answer that question," Reed said.

Reed said he's heard some people suggest it's a political move against him by the administration of Gov. Sarah Palin. He said he's opposed Palin on some issues but "I don't think any government would lower itself to that level."

The Alaska Public Offices Commission decided in December to refer the issue of his late filings to the Department of Law to review if it warranted criminal charges.

APOC staff had complained that Reed was consistently late in his filings, worse than any other lobbyist, said Elizabeth Hickerson, the chair of the public offices commission. That took up state time and money to send him letters, she said.

"It was report after report, year after year," Hickerson said. "It was presented as a problem, as a drain on the staff's resources."

The reports cited in the charges range from October to July. The worst example in the charges was when he allegedly didn't file a report due Oct. 23 until Jan. 23.

Reed said he's been late filing the disclosures for a "variety of reasons, not worth discussing." Sometimes things just slip through the cracks, Reed said.

"The clients file the same information that we file," Reed said. "So the public was never denied any information, it was always there, always available."

Holly Hill, executive director of the state public offices commission, said that's not always so. She said lobbyists are required to file monthly disclosure reports when the Legislature is in session and quarterly reports the rest of the time. Clients always file quarterly, she said.

After the charges became public Thursday, the Diane Benson U.S. House campaign highlighted campaign money Reed has given to Benson's Democratic primary opponent, Ethan Berkowitz.

Reed has been a frequent campaign contributor over the years, giving to candidates of both parties. Examples include Democrat Mark Begich in an Anchorage mayor's race, John Binkley in the 2006 Republican primary for governor, and Anchorage Democratic state senator Hollis French in legislative elections.

He's given to Republicans Ted Stevens and Don Young, although not for the past several years, and he gave $1,000 this year to Berkowitz's campaign for Young's U.S. House seat.

Benson called on Berkowitz to return campaign contributions from Reed and other lobbyists.

The Berkowitz campaign responded that, as a legislator, Berkowitz opposed private prisons and stood up to Veco, both of which have been implicated in scandal.

"This is a question of character. If Diane Benson doesn't think she can stand up to pressure from her campaign contributors, then it's appropriate for Ms. Benson to reject those contributions," Berkowitz spokesman David Shurtleff said in an e-mail. "Ethan Berkowitz doesn't accept contributions with strings attached, and has a 10-year voting record in the state Legislature to prove it."

Find Sean Cockerham online at adn.com/contact/scockerham or call him at 257-4344.

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