Associated Press
A federal appeals court has thrown out the conviction of another former Alaska lawmaker charged in a wide-sweeping corruption probe.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today vacated the conviction of former House Speaker Pete Kott, and ordered a new trial. Kott’s corruption case arose during maneuverings around oil tax legislation in 2006. He was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy, extortion and bribery and sentenced to six years in federal prison.
Kott went to prison but was released when prosecutors acknowledged they failed to turn over favorable evidence to the defense – the same issue that led to the reversal this month of the government’s case against former lawmaker Vic Kohring and the earlier collapse of a corruption case against the late-U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.
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