Public Corruption—Alaska State Representative Tom Anderson

Alaskan State Representative Tom Anderson has been indicted by a federal grand jury on allegations that he “[sold] his legislative office for $12,828 in bribes from a lobbyist representing private prison interests.”^[1] The 39-year-old Republican has pleaded not guilty to all counts, and has been allowed to remain on pretrial release on an unsecured $10,000 bond; he is even being allowed to travel to Mexico on a previously scheduled vacation.^[2]

According to the United States, Rep. Anderson used a “sham corporation to hide the identity” of bribery payments, and “solicited and received money from an FBI confidential source in exchange for [Rep.] Anderson’s agreement to perform official acts to further a business interest represented by the confidential source.”^[3] Furthermore, Rep. Anderson, “along with an individual identified as ‘Lobbyist A.’” allegedly “solicited and received $26,000 in payments from an FBI confidential source, in exchange for [Rep.] Anderson’s agreement to take official acts as a member of the Alaska State Legislature.”^[4]

The indictment contains seven counts. Count One is extremely typical in a federal case: conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371.^[5] The fact that only Rep. Anderson is named in this particular indictment could indicate a few things: it could mean that the alleged co-conspirator has cooperated with the government (which seems likely, given the nature of the charges), but it could also mean that a superseding indictment is forthcoming adding other individuals, and it could even mean that the other individual—or individuals—might be charged in a separate case, with the government moving to join the cases at a later date. Count Two alleges a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a) (interference with commerce by extortion induced under color of official right); Count Three alleges bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B); Counts Four through Six allege money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1); and, finally, Count Seven alleges another violation of section 1951.^[6]

Speculation in Alaska suggests that the United States was going after “long-hanging fruit” because the amount of the alleged bribes adds up to “chump change.”^[7]

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[1] Richard Mauer et al., Anderson Indicted on Seven Counts, Anchorage Daily News, Dec. 9, 2006.
[2] Id.
[3] US DOJ, Alaska State Representative Thomas T. Anderson Indicted on Charges of Extortion, Conspiracy, Bribery, and Money Laundering, Dec. 8, 2006.
[4] Id.
[5] United States v. Anderson, No. 3:06-cr-00099-JWS-JDR (D. Alaska 2006) (via Anchorage Daily News).
[6] Id.
[7] Alaska Ear—Ain’t We Got Fun, Anchorage Daily News, Dec. 10, 2006.