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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Prosecutors are ready for testimony Tuesday from the man who bankrolled most of the "free benefits" that Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska is accused of trying to hide.
Sen. Ted Stevens did not disclose to the U.S. Senate work done on his Alaska home, prosecutors say.
Stevens, the U.S. Senate's longest-serving Republican, has pleaded not guilty to a seven-count indictment for filing false statements on mandatory financial disclosure forms.
Prosecutors say the annual forms should have included hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from Alaska oil industry kingpin Bill Allen, who is scheduled to take the stand later Tuesday.
Government lawyers also plan to play several wiretap audio recordings they hope will convince the jury that Stevens knowingly concealed what they call "free benefits," which included a "sweetheart deal" on a Land Rover, substantial renovations to his home in Alaska and other unreported goods and services.
Allen, considered the central witness in the government's case, founded the Veco Corporation, an oil field contractor and one of Alaska's biggest employers. The firm was not known for residential construction, but former workers have testified that Allen and top aides directly asked them to work on the Stevens family chalet in the ski town of Girdwood, outside Anchorage.
Efforts by Allen to keep the project low-key have come up at the trial. One was on a handwritten invoice for building materials that said "no paper trail," in directions attributed to Allen.
And a carpenter, Brian Byrne, testified Monday that Allen made it clear when he took the job that "a certain amount of discretion would have to be used since it was the senator's house and that Veco was an oil services company."
When prosecutor Joe Bottini asked him to explain, Byrne said, "I think the appearance of impropriety was, I believe, what he was concerned about."
The defense team has told the jury that Stevens "promptly" paid all the bills he knew about and that it was Allen who concealed additional costs. During witness cross-examination, Stevens' lawyers have tried to undercut the reliability of documents the prosecution hopes will show both the cost and Stevens' lack of repayment.
Prosecutors are scrambling to recover from several scoldings by federal Judge Emmet Sullivan over their treatment of a subpoenaed witness, Robert "Rocky" Williams, a top lieutenant to Allen who has not yet been called to testify.
Williams, the on-site foreman at the Stevens home as major construction took place starting in the late 1990s, spent hours with prosecutors in Washington last week preparing to take the stand, only to be told to return to Alaska, supposedly because of health problems.
The judge was provoked that neither he nor the defense team were told about the move, and he has now directed prosecutors to explain whether he should impose unspecified sanctions in the matter.
Allen, their star witness, is also causing headaches during what is supposed to be a trial expedited at Stevens' request. The 84-year-old senator hopes to clear his name by November as part of his bid for re-election.
But Allen has medical problems from a motorcycle wreck in 2001, and his planned appearance Monday was delayed after the judge granted the defense additional time to review hospital records to assess his ability to testify.
More problems regarding Allen's likely testimony came up late Monday after the jury had been excused for the day.
Prosecutors acknowledge they plan to tell the jury Allen is cooperating with them as part of his earlier guilty plea for bribing state lawmakers, one of whom is Ben Stevens, the son of the U.S. senator.
Defense attorney Rob Cary argued that the plea agreement refers to the bribery targets only as state "Senator A" and state "Senator B," and not to the younger Stevens by name. He has not been charged in the case.
Judge Sullivan was not immediately convinced he should prevent prosecutors from disclosing that detail to the Washington-based jury, most of whom had indicated they were unaware of media accounts of what has gone on in Alaska.
Star witness to testify in Alaska senator's trial - CNN.com
Sen. Ted Stevens did not disclose to the U.S. Senate work done on his Alaska home, prosecutors say.
Stevens, the U.S. Senate's longest-serving Republican, has pleaded not guilty to a seven-count indictment for filing false statements on mandatory financial disclosure forms.
Prosecutors say the annual forms should have included hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from Alaska oil industry kingpin Bill Allen, who is scheduled to take the stand later Tuesday.
Government lawyers also plan to play several wiretap audio recordings they hope will convince the jury that Stevens knowingly concealed what they call "free benefits," which included a "sweetheart deal" on a Land Rover, substantial renovations to his home in Alaska and other unreported goods and services.
Allen, considered the central witness in the government's case, founded the Veco Corporation, an oil field contractor and one of Alaska's biggest employers. The firm was not known for residential construction, but former workers have testified that Allen and top aides directly asked them to work on the Stevens family chalet in the ski town of Girdwood, outside Anchorage.
Efforts by Allen to keep the project low-key have come up at the trial. One was on a handwritten invoice for building materials that said "no paper trail," in directions attributed to Allen.
And a carpenter, Brian Byrne, testified Monday that Allen made it clear when he took the job that "a certain amount of discretion would have to be used since it was the senator's house and that Veco was an oil services company."
When prosecutor Joe Bottini asked him to explain, Byrne said, "I think the appearance of impropriety was, I believe, what he was concerned about."
The defense team has told the jury that Stevens "promptly" paid all the bills he knew about and that it was Allen who concealed additional costs. During witness cross-examination, Stevens' lawyers have tried to undercut the reliability of documents the prosecution hopes will show both the cost and Stevens' lack of repayment.
Prosecutors are scrambling to recover from several scoldings by federal Judge Emmet Sullivan over their treatment of a subpoenaed witness, Robert "Rocky" Williams, a top lieutenant to Allen who has not yet been called to testify.
Williams, the on-site foreman at the Stevens home as major construction took place starting in the late 1990s, spent hours with prosecutors in Washington last week preparing to take the stand, only to be told to return to Alaska, supposedly because of health problems.
The judge was provoked that neither he nor the defense team were told about the move, and he has now directed prosecutors to explain whether he should impose unspecified sanctions in the matter.
Allen, their star witness, is also causing headaches during what is supposed to be a trial expedited at Stevens' request. The 84-year-old senator hopes to clear his name by November as part of his bid for re-election.
But Allen has medical problems from a motorcycle wreck in 2001, and his planned appearance Monday was delayed after the judge granted the defense additional time to review hospital records to assess his ability to testify.
More problems regarding Allen's likely testimony came up late Monday after the jury had been excused for the day.
Prosecutors acknowledge they plan to tell the jury Allen is cooperating with them as part of his earlier guilty plea for bribing state lawmakers, one of whom is Ben Stevens, the son of the U.S. senator.
Defense attorney Rob Cary argued that the plea agreement refers to the bribery targets only as state "Senator A" and state "Senator B," and not to the younger Stevens by name. He has not been charged in the case.
Judge Sullivan was not immediately convinced he should prevent prosecutors from disclosing that detail to the Washington-based jury, most of whom had indicated they were unaware of media accounts of what has gone on in Alaska.
Star witness to testify in Alaska senator's trial - CNN.com