Former State Legislator Sentenced To 42 Months In Alaska Corruption Scandal

Fomer Alaska Republican state Representative Vic Kohring was sentenced last week to 42 months in prison by US District Court Judge John Sedwick in Anchorage for taking bribes as part of a scheme to keep Alaska oil taxes down. In November 2007 a jury convicted Kohring of bribery, attempted extortion, and conspiracy for soliciting and receiving multiple cash payments from executives of VECO Corporation, the now-defunct oilfield services company that was once the state’s largest, in exchange for his vote on a key oil production tax proposal and his agreement to lobby other legislators. Kohring is the third state Republican legislator to be sentenced to prison in the ongoing corruption investigation. Two top VECO executives and one former
lobbyist have already pleaded guilty. The VECO executives, former CEO Bill Allen and VP Rick Smith, are also cooperating and have implicated US Sen. Ted Stevens and his son, former Alaska state Senate President Ben Stevens; they have denied wrongdoing. US Rep. Don Young is also under investigation.

Kohring’s defense strategy was to claim the money he accepted was just gifts from friends, not bribes. At the sentencing hearing, he was defiant in proclaiming his innocence. His attorney characterized him as being like Andy Griffith, to which AUSA Joe Bottini responded, “”I don’t remember any episode of that show where Andy Griffith took cash from anybody” (Anchorage Daily News, DOJ).