Friday, December 8, 2006

Alaska Lawmaker Arrested in FBI Probe

Friday December 8, 2006 11:31 AM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A state legislator was arrested on a federal bribery warrant, three months after federal agents raided the offices of at least six Alaska lawmakers in an investigation into a large oil field services company.

Rep. Tom Anderson was arrested Thursday at his Anchorage home and was being held at the city jail, FBI Special Agent Eric Gonzalez told The Associated Press.

Anderson's name had not appeared on a list of offices raided in late August and early September. Agents were searching for possible ties between the lawmakers and VECO Corp., officials and aides have said.

A copy of one of the search warrants obtained by the AP at the time linked the investigation to a new petroleum profits tax and a proposed natural gas pipeline contract.

No other arrests were made Thursday. Gonzalez said the investigation was ongoing and referred questions to the Department of Justice.

A message left late Thursday with Justice Department officials was not immediately returned.

Anderson, who was elected to the state House four years ago, did not seek re-election. He leaves office this month.

There was no home listing for him. His father, Tom Anderson, former director of the Alaska State Troopers, declined to comment on the arrest.

During the raids, about 20 warrants were executed across Alaska, but federal authorities would not say who received them.

VECO pledged to cooperate with the investigation.

``VECO was disappointed by the suggestion that there had been illegal or improper conduct on the part of the company or its executives,'' the company said on its Web site at the time.

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