The central character in the charges against Senator Ted Stevens and in the corruption cases here in Alaska is one Bill Allen.  Allen is one of those self-made man types who came to Alaska as a welder and went on to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the State through his oilfield services company, Veco, Inc.

When the Public Integrity Section knocked on Veco’s door, Allen became their made man and has testified for the government in all the cases.  The government is still holding the sentence over his head to make sure he says the right things.  Part of his deal with the government was immunity for all his family members.  That immunity deal paid off handsomely yesterday for Bill Allen’s son Mark Allen, whose race horse, Mine That Bird, won the Kentucky Derby at 50 – 1 odds.  Most here think that the immunity deal saved Mark himself from having his own felony conviction which would have banned him from horse racing.  Oh, well, guess it’s better to be lucky than good.  The Anchorage Daily News story is here: http://www.adn.com/news/politics/veco/story/781355.html