(Sen. Ted) Stevens' Contractor Hires a Lawyer, Opts To Keep Quiet

[babylonsister]

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003332.php

Stevens' Contractor Hires a Lawyer, Opts To Keep Quiet
By Laura McGann - June 4, 2007, 9:39 AM

An Alaska contractor, Augie Paone, painted most of the picture we have of how a major state oil services company oversaw the renovation of Sen. Ted Stevens’ (R-AK) house. After giving a few interviews last week, Paone has hired a lawyer and will no longer comment publicly.

I spoke with Paone’s wife on the phone yesterday who said the family would not release the lawyer’s name. The lawyer has advised them to stay quiet, she said.

It's too bad the Paones felt the need to lawyer up, though it’s probably not that surprising. In an interview with the Anchorage Daily News, Paone said he was “uncomfortable” with taking the renovation contract initially because he had not provided an estimate to Veco Corp., the company that handled the job for Stevens while the senator was in Washington:

"I didn't suspect anything, but I just wanted to make sure," he said. "When you work with a house of a legislator or a senator, you make sure you hold on to all the billings, just in case something happens."

That was a good move. The job has piqued federal investigators' interest as part of a broad investigation into public corruption in Alaska. Six months ago the FBI asked Paone for records and invoices from the job. He also testified before a grand jury.

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[peacetalksforall]

1. Is this as big as the Cunningham deal that kicked up all the dirt?

Hope so.