Witnesses Testify on Stevens Renovation Project
Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) may have missed the majority of renovations to his home in Girdwood, Alaska, but he got a full review of the project at his trial on Friday, as federal prosecutors called to the witness stand four individuals who worked on the project.
Stevens is charged with seven counts of filing false statements over an eight-year period to conceal the receipt of more than $250,000 in gifts primarily to his Girdwood home from the now-defunct oil services firm VECO and its executives.
Federal prosecutors called to the stand former VECO employees as well as a subcontractor who worked on the Girdwood house between 1999 and 2001, grilling them in minute detail about interior and exterior work on the home, ranging from electrical wiring to metal roofing.
Prosecutors also asked repeated questions about the day-to-day direction of the project, an apparent attempt to emphasize that VECO employees managed the renovation effort.
Stevens defense asked few questions on cross-examination.
During the trials first full day of witness testimony, however, federal prosecutors appeared to call all but one of the five scheduled witnesses, prompting ire from Judge Emmet Sullivan, who instructed the attorneys to overbook witnesses next week.
The remaining witness, Cheryl Boomershine, will not appear until 2 p.m.