Libby Casey, APRN – Washington DC
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says convicted felon and government witness Bill Allen has not been prosecuted for sex crimes only because of the facts of the case, not because he’s well-connected.
Allen ran the Veco Corporation, and was a key witness in the government’s corruption cases against numerous Alaskan legislators and former Senator Ted Stevens. He pled guilty to bribery and extortion as part of a deal that put him in jail for three years.
But Allen is also accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl. Investigators have evidence that Allen flew the teen between Seattle and Anchorage to engage in prostitution. And Senator Lisa Murkowski says despite testimony from the victim and other information, no charges were ever presented to a grand jury.
Murkowski wants to know why Allen has not been charged, and pressed the Attorney General on it Thursday.
Murkowski says she may press the Justice Department’s Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility to examine how the Allen case was handled.
She asked Holder if that would be an appropriate step.
In April of 2009, Holder threw out the government’s case against Ted Stevens, because the team of prosecutors and FBI agents withheld vital information from his defense lawyers.
Murkowski questioned Holder Thursday when he appeared before the Appropriations Justice Subcommittee to talk about the President’s proposed budget.
Download Audio (MP3)
