Sen. Stevens attorneys failed to get the judge to toss out the charges or declare a mistrial, but they did score a victory in the high-profile trial.
By Richard Mauer and Erika Bolstad
Anchorage Daily News
WASHINGTON – The corruption case against Sen. Ted Stevens suffered a blow to its credibility this afternoon when a federal judge ruled that prosecutors erred and jurors won’t be able to consider crucial evidence about the time two workers spent renovating his house.
Jurors will be told to disregard evidence they’ve seen concerning how much time two Veco Corp. workers, Robert “Rocky” Williams and Dave Anderson, spent remodeling Stevens’ home in Girdwood in 2000 and 2001.
They’ll also be told that prosecutors knew the hours Anderson said he worked could be inaccurate and yet still presented it to the jury as part of the $188,000 total that Veco accounting records show the oil field services company spent on the Stevens remodel.
“It’s very troubling that the government would utilize records the government knows were false,” said Judge Emmet Sullivan said. “And there’s just no excuse for that whatsoever.”
For Full Story
Update (10/9) – Judge Bends And Lets Prosecution Call Another Witness (Anchorage Daily News)
See All Government Trial Exhibits
Read Government’s Request For Judge To Reconsider His Ruling- Oct. 8
