Former VECO CEO Bill Allen was on the stand today in the trial of Alaska state Rep. Vic Kohring and testified that his own cousin attempted to blackmail him over VECO’s work on Sen. Ted Stevens’ Girdwood, Alaska home. The Alaska Daily News is covering the trial:

Kohring Lawyer John Henry Browne asked Veco founder Bill Allen about something that came up at the corruption trial last month of former state Rep. Pete Kott. It was regarding Allen’s nephew, Dave Anderson.

Anderson was blackmailing you and you threatened to kill him? Browne asked.

“I was not going to kill him, no,” Allen responded

But that’s the information the government had, wasn’t it? Browne asked.

Allen went back to a point he made a number of times during cross examination.

That’s just part of the story, Allen said. “You have to do the whole thing.”

Anyway, what was Anderson blackmailing him about? Browne asked.

“Ted Stevens’ house,” Allen anwered.

He was referring to a 2000 renovation that doubled the size of Stevens’ home in Girdwood. Allen testitied in the Kott trial that Veco employees worked on the renovation and he donated some materials.

Veco paid for that, correct? Browne asked Allen.

Allen said he didn’t know how much.

Browne asked him if part of his cooperation deal with the government was to help investigate Stevens and the money Veco gave for the Girdwood house?

Yes, Allen answered.

The case against Stevens continues to pile up in court records but he still sits on powerful committees with the full backing of his peers. Perhaps if he were to make a pit stop at the Minneapolis airport bathroom his stature in the Senate might change. For now though, a growing case of public corruption can be ignored.