Whistle blower alleges misconduct in Sen. Steven case

The Hill:

An FBI special agent who worked on the probe that resulted in the conviction of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has filed a complaint in federal court alleging misconduct against an unknown number of law enforcement officials and prosecutors in the case.

In an eight-page complaint that is heavily redacted, the whistleblower claims that federal agents mishandled sources in the case, including Bill Allen, the oil company executive who was the prosecution’s star witness against Stevens.

The complaint also alleges that prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense and improperly tried to remove a witness from the reach of Stevens’s defense team.

The court redacted much of the document to protect the identities of FBI sources and techniques.

A spokesman for Stevens did not return a call for comment.

The available text indicates that the whistleblower, who worked as an FBI special agent since 2003, believes that at least one federal official working on the investigation mismanaged sources by becoming too close to them and accepting from them things of value, including artwork and house-hunting help.

A jury convicted Stevens in late October on seven count of failing to report gifts such as extensive renovations to a mountain cabin he owned.

The complaint alleges that a law enforcement official involved in the investigation mishandled six sources “by becoming too close to each of them.”

The target or targets of the complaint met with sources on multiple occasions over lunch and dinner and on the golf course and shared sensitive details about the investigation. The target also accepted help finding real estate and a large, original drawing of a dog.

The complaint charges that the official in question met with Allen in a hotel room and disclosed sensitive details about the federal investigation as well as an ongoing investigation of Allen by the Anchorage police department.

The document also alleges a range of prosecutorial misconduct, such as failing to provide the defense with evidence it was entitled to receive, including documents from Allen’s bank account.

In addition, it accuses the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) public integrity section of having “inappropriately created [a] scheme to relocate [a] prosecution witness that was also subpoenaed by defense during trial.”

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The government's case against Stevens was remarkable mismanaged during the trial, drawing the ire of the judge on several occasions. These allegations may wind up getting Sen. Stevens a new trial or perhaps having the whole case tossed.