 Alaska State Rep. Indicted on Charges of Extortion, Conspiracy, Bribery & Money Laundering December 09, 2006
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
reacted with disappointment upon hearing news on Friday that
former State Representative Tom Anderson (R) was arrested on
charges of extortion, conspiracy, bribery, and money laundering.
Based on charging documents, the crimes Anderson is accused of
committing took place while he was a sitting member of the House
of Representatives in the Alaska State Legislature. The seven-count indictment returned on Dec. 6, 2006, charges Anderson with two counts of extortion, one count of bribery, one count of conspiracy, and three counts of money laundering in connection with the use of a sham corporation to hide the identity of the bribery payments. The indictment further alleges that Anderson solicited and received money from an FBI confidential source in exchange for Anderson's agreement to perform official acts to further a business interest represented by the confidential source. The indictment also alleges that from July 2004 to March 2005, Representative Anderson, along with an individual identified as "Lobbyist A," solicited and received $26,000 in payments from an FBI confidential source, in exchange for Anderson's agreement to take official acts as a member of the Alaska State Legislature. According to the indictment, Anderson and Lobbyist A participated in the creation of a sham corporation to conceal the existence and true origin of the payments, and used the sham corporation to funnel a portion of the $26,000 to Anderson. According to the indictment, the FBI confidential source was a consultant for a private corrections company located outside the state of Alaska, and Anderson and Lobbyist A initiated contact with the FBI confidential source in order to solicit bribery payments. The FBI confidential source, however, never communicated those solicitations or any other information to the corrections company due to the undercover nature of the operation. The corrections company was not implicated in the corrupt activities that are alleged in the indictment. If convicted, Anderson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a $250,000 fine on the extortion counts; a maximum penalty of 20 years and a $500,000 fine on each of the money laundering counts; a maximum penalty of 10 years and a $250,000 fine on the bribery count; and a maximum penalty of five years and a $250,000 fine on the conspiracy count. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Nicholas A. Marsh and Edward P. Sullivan of the Public Integrity Section, which is headed by Acting Chief Edward C. Nucci, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph W. Bottini and James A. Goeke from the District of Alaska. The case is being investigated by Special Agents of the FBI. An indictment is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.
Related News: Anderson arrested
By Matthew Simon, CBS 11 News Reporter - KTVA Anchorage - In
a yellow jail suit, with his ankles apparently shackled together
late Friday afternoon in federal court, prosecutors officially
told Representative Tom Anderson what laws they think he broke.
While Anderson has now said on the record he did not do anything
wrong, U.S. prosecutors say they have the evidence to prove he
did. - Read
this story...
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