Anchorage Daily News

Citing convenience and a chance to avoid delay and expense, former state Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch wants a federal judge to move his trial from Anchorage to Juneau, where he and co-defendant Pete Kott live.

Prosecutors haven't yet said if they object to a move. The trial is set to begin Sept. 5.

Both Weyhrauch and Kott are Republicans accused of selling their votes and influence to oil field services contractor Veco Corp. and its chief executive during last year's debate on oil taxes.

Weyhrauch is charged with bribery, attempted extortion, conspiracy and mail fraud. Kott faces bribery, extortion, conspiracy and wire fraud charges.

Weyhrauch, a Juneau attorney with a wife and three young children, served in the House from 2003 until his term ended this year. He didn't run in 2006.

Kott, a former House speaker, represented Eagle River in the Legislature from 1993 until this year. He was defeated in last year's primary election. He now lives full time in the capital city.

One of Weyhrauch's attorneys, Doug Pope, argued in court filings that since both defendants live in Juneau, and most of the alleged crimes happened in Juneau, the trial should take place there too.

Some of the conversations at issue took place in Suite 604 of Juneau's Baranof Hotel, Pope noted.

Most of the evidence is contained on computer disks and hard drives and is easily moved, the lawyer noted.

Many of the witnesses also live in Juneau, Pope wrote, offering to provide the judge a detailed list. Exceptions include FBI agents and former Veco executives Bill Allen and Rick Smith, whom Pope described as convicted criminals. Allen and Smith have pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bribery and tax fraud and are cooperating with prosecutors.

It would be disruptive for Weyhrauch to leave his family and law practice for the trial, Pope wrote.

"It does not take a social scientist to acknowledge that Weyhrauch will have weighty family obligations during trial, and it is no answer to suggest that the family can move to Anchorage," the lawyer wrote.

Another factor is pretrial publicity.

While Pope wrote that he's not now trying to move the trial on grounds of prejudicial pretrial publicity, he contends there's less chance it would have to be delayed later because of additional publicity if it were moved.

The FBI's corruption investigation has received more coverage in the Anchorage Daily News than the Juneau Empire, which has mentioned Weyhrauch only once recently, Pope wrote.

A July 2 Daily News opinion piece headlined "For sale, cheap" was "particularly poisonous," he wrote. In it, Kott was called "Veco's boy" and Weyhrauch's performance was compared to that of a "rank amateur."

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

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