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35-520: VECO Corporation was an American oil pipeline service and construction company until its purchase in September 2007 by CH2M Hill . As of that date, the VECO Corporation ceased to exist. Founded in 1968 as V eltri E nterprises by Wayne Ray Veltri, renamed VE Co nstruction after being bought in 1970 by Bill Allen and in 1979 changed to VECO Corp. The company grew to become a major player in

70-843: A Ports and Harbor firm based in Florida, DeMil International, a weapons destruction firm based in the United States, and EHS Consultants Ltd, a consulting firm based in Hong Kong. In December 2003, Lockwood Greene Engineers was acquired. The sale was forced by the financial collapse of JA Jones Inc, its North American parent company and wholly owned subsidiary of the insolvent German construction conglomerate, Philipp Holzmann AG . CH2M picked up LGE's private-sector design portfolio. In October 2005, it acquired BBS Corporation, an environmental engineering firm based in Ohio. In September 2007,

105-495: A case pending against me, and probably the worst case of prosecutorial misconduct by the prosecutors that is known." Stevens also cited plans to appeal. On November 4, 2008, eight days after his conviction, Begich went on to defeat Stevens by 3,724 votes. On April 7, 2009, federal judge Sullivan formally accepted President Barack Obama 's Attorney General Eric Holder 's motion to set aside the Ted Stevens verdict and throw out

140-534: A secret option, expiring in December 2004, to buy a 25% ownership in Adak for an immediate payment of $ 50,000 and another $ 450,000 paid over time. In mid-2004, 50% of Adak was sold for $ 4.3 million to a Seattle company. In November 2004, Stevens attempted to exercise the option, but because of changes in ownership of Adak, the complexity of the agreement between Aleut and Adak, and subsequent litigation, his $ 50,000 check

175-595: The Anchorage Daily News in 1992. In accordance with an agreement reached between the former editors of the Anchorage Times and the Anchorage Daily News , space was provided for the Times' editors to provide a counterpoint to the Anchorage Daily News . From 1992 until 2002, the Anchorage Daily News provided this space for free. In 2002 the agreement was renewed for five years, but the "Voice of

210-676: The Arizona State University and a Master of Business Administration from George Washington University . After college, he was a commercial fisherman and owner of a consulting firm. Stevens was president of the May 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games , held in Anchorage . In August 2001, Stevens was appointed by Democratic Governor Tony Knowles to the Alaska State Senate after being nominated by

245-682: The Panama Canal Authority selected the company to manage the $ 5.25 billion Panama Canal expansion project , which added new locks to the Pacific and Atlantic ends of the canal and enabled New Panamax ships to pass through the canal for the first time. In April 2009, a consortium led by the company was named program partner to oversee construction of the Crossrail project to expand London's transit system. On August 30, 2006, along with partners Mace Group and Laing O'Rourke ,

280-661: The Rocky Flats Plant . In 2006, the company helped rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast of the United States after Hurricane Katrina . In June 2007, along with General Electric , the company was selected to build a $ 660 million gas-fired power plant in Queensland , Australia . In April 2007, the company was selected for an $ 11.7 billion project to move American military bases in Korea. In August 2007,

315-684: The United States Department of Justice . The precedent embodied in the Brady v. Maryland decision had required prosecutors to provide defendants with any material exculpatory evidence. On October 27, 2008, Ted Stevens was found guilty of all seven felony counts of making false statements concerning the failure to report gifts, and making false statements . Nonetheless, during a debate with his opponent, Anchorage, Alaska Mayor Mark Begich , days after his conviction, Stevens continued to claim innocence. "I have not been convicted. I have

350-473: The Alaskan oil industries' support. VECO also was a worldwide player in the oil industry, having divisions in many major oil markets. On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef , spilling eleven million gallons of crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound . The Exxon Valdez oil spill was the largest in United States history. VECO was responsible for large parts of

385-518: The RNC, because he was under a federal investigation for his ties to the oil field services company, VECO Corporation . In December 2018, Stevens was named by incoming Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy as an advisor on legislation, transportation and fishing. Before the appointment, Stevens had served as the president of Cook Inlet Tug and Barge. In July 2019, he became Dunleavy's chief of staff, replacing Tuckerman Babcock. In mid 2021, Stevens took on

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420-686: The Republican Party of Alaska. He was the Majority Leader for the 2003–2004 term, and the President for the 2005–2006 term. Stevens was investigated by the FBI in connection with an ongoing Alaska political corruption probe , though he was not charged with any crime. His office was visited twice by FBI agents who seized evidence, including documents relating to an alleged payment scheme involving fisheries legislation. Bill Allen ,

455-837: The Times now exists as a blog . On August 31, 2006 officers with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service raided the offices of several prominent members of the Alaska Legislature . Raided were the offices of Sen. John Cowdery (R-Anchorage), Senate President Ben Stevens (R-Anchorage), Rep. Vic Kohring (R-Wasilla), Rep. Bev Masek (R-Willow), Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch (R-Juneau), Sen. Don Olson (D-Nome), and Rep. Pete Kott (R-Eagle River). The investigation involved allegations of illegal gifts to law makers from VECO. Senator Olson

490-541: The Times" was required to pay for the space as though it was advertising. On May 9, 2007 the Anchorage Daily News announced it would end the arrangement at month's end, and it would cease publishing the Voice of the Times. Although ADN publisher Mike Sexton said the decision had been made a week prior, he was quoted a few days before this announcement as saying the situation was still under review. The Voice of

525-537: The VECO Corporation announced that CEO Bill Allen and Vice President for Community & Government Affairs Rick Smith had resigned from the corporation. Allen was succeeded as chairman of the board by his daughter, Tammy Kerrigan. On July 24, 2007, The Wall Street Journal reported that Representative Don Young was under federal investigation for possibly taking bribes, illegal gratuities or unreported gifts from VECO. Between 1996 and 2006, Young received $ 157,000 from VECO employees and its political action committee. In

560-492: The company acquired most of the components of VECO , an Alaska-based firm that specialized in services to the petroleum industry and had become embroiled in the Alaska political corruption probe . In December 2007, the company acquired Trigon EPC. In March 2008, the company acquired Texas based Goldston Engineering, a company specialising in marine and coastal transportation engineering services. In 2011, CH2M Hill acquired

595-492: The company was cited for safety violations at the project. In March 2013, the company was selected by South Oil Company of Iraq to provide project management consultancy services for the Iraq Common Seawater Supply Project. In 1977, the company acquired Black, Crow & Eidsness, an engineering firm in the southeast United States. In August 2002, the company acquired Gee & Jensen,

630-456: The company was part of a joint venture to replace the Singapore sanitary services infrastructure. The new Singapore Deep Tunnel System was designed to improve reliability, ease, and economy of operation, and to help Singapore handle the increasing use of its waterfront. In October 2005, Kaiser Hill, a joint venture of CH2M Hill, decommissioned and closed a former nuclear weapons facility at

665-734: The company was selected as a supplier for the London 2012 Olympics . In June 2008, the United States Department of Energy selected a subsidiary of the company to manage the deconstruction and remediation of the Central Plateau on the Hanford Site in eastern Washington, one of the world's largest environmental cleanup projects, including shrinking the environmental footprint of the Hanford Site from 586-square-mile (1,520 km ) to 75 square miles (190 km ). In April 2019,

700-711: The first half of 2007, Young spent more than $ 250,000 of campaign contributions for legal fees. Alaska State House representatives Beverly Masek , Pete Kott , Bruce Weyhrauch and Vic Kohring were all charged with federal crimes as part of the investigation into VECO. On May 29, 2007, the Anchorage Daily News reported that the FBI and a federal grand jury were investigating an "extensive" remodeling project at Senator Ted Stevens ' home in Girdwood , Alaska. The remodeling work, organized by VECO, more than doubled

735-536: The head of the oil field services company VECO Corporation , testified in a September 2007 trial that he had bribed Ben Stevens and two other state legislators, and also testified in the trial of Ted Stevens. In his six years in the Alaska Senate, Ben had received $ 240,000 from VECO for unspecified consulting fees. In September 2007, Stevens called an Anchorage talk radio show to proclaim his innocence. He said he "didn't do anything illegal" and that he worked in

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770-555: The indictment, declaring "There was never a judgment of conviction in this case. The jury's verdict is being set aside and has no legal effect." After deciding not to seek re-election to the state senate in 2006, Stevens continued to hold a post as a member of the Republican National Committee . In September 2007, two of the state's top Republican elected officials, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and House Speaker John Harris called on Stevens to resign from

805-451: The information contained in court documents about Senator B is former Senator Ben Stevens (R-Anchorage), son of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). To date, Ben Stevens has not been indicted. Another state senator discussed in the court documents who later pleaded guilty, was identified as "Senator A." He was John Cowdery. On 3/12/09 ex-state representative Beverly Masek pleaded guilty to taking $ 4,000 in bribes from Allen. On May 11, 2007

840-571: The laundering was illegal. Also named in the search warrants were VECO officers Bill J. Allen , Rick Smith and Pete Leathard. On May 7, 2007, VECO CEO Bill Allen and Vice President for Community & Government Affairs Rick Smith pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Anchorage to charges of extortion, bribery, and conspiracy to impede the Internal Revenue Service. In addition to the three politicians arraigned on May 4,

875-452: The new court filings mention illegal payments made to a former state senator, named as "Senator B" in court documents, who received over $ 200,000 from VECO Corp. over several years, income which Senator B reported as "consulting fees." In the May 7 guilty pleas by Allen and Smith, they admit that the only work done by Senator B in exchange for the funds was advancing VECO's agenda in the state legislature. The only former state senator who matches

910-551: The size of the home (public records show that the home is now 2,471 square feet (229.6 m) and valued at about $ 441,000). The repairs could have cost anywhere between $ 130,000 and 250,000, and the payments Ted Stevens paid were about $ 160,000. Stevens' Alaska home was raided by the FBI and IRS on July 30, 2007. Stevens was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 29, 2008 on seven counts alleging that Stevens received hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts that he did not declare on his US Senate financial disclosure forms. Stevens

945-466: The spill's clean up, hiring 2,500 workers to clean up the environmental disaster. VECO's Ex CEO, Bill Allen, paid for the publishing of the "Voice of the Times," a half page counterpoint to the Anchorage Daily News which was published within the pages of the latter. The Voice of the Times is what remains of the Anchorage Times , a newspaper which went out of business due to competition from

980-642: The state's best interest as a senator. Ben also received $ 13,490 from Veco employees in 2002 with $ 5,500 coming from VECO's investigated executives. Within one week in 2002, Stevens received the maximum $ 500 contribution allowed by law from each of the six executives involved in the bribery scheme. A 2003 legislative earmark gave the Alaska Native community at Adak Island (and thereby Adak Fisheries) exclusive rights to pollock fishing, worth millions of dollars to Adak Fisheries. Beginning in July 2002, Stevens held

1015-519: The transportation consulting unit of Booz Allen Hamilton . In September 2011, CH2M Hill acquired the UK-based engineering consulting firm Halcrow Group . In October 2014, the company acquired TERA Environmental Consultants, an environmental consulting firm based in Canada that had worked with pipeline and powerline clients and oil and gas companies, for 30 years. In April 2015, the company removed

1050-464: The word "Hill" from its branding, and unveiled a new logo. In March 2017, the company renewed its lease at Honey Creek Corporate Center. In June 2017, the company reiterated its support for the Paris Agreement . In December 2017, Jacobs Engineering Group acquired CH2M for US$ 3.3 billion in cash and stock. Ben Stevens Stevens earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from

1085-534: Was convicted on all seven of these charges on October 27, 2008. All the convictions were vacated on April 7, 2009 due to gross prosecutorial misconduct . In May 2007 VECO began negotiations with Colorado-based CH2M Hill to acquire VECO. The deal was finalized in September 2007, with CH2M Hill integrating VECO into its operations. CH2M Hill CH2M , earlier CH2M Hill , was an engineering company that provided consulting, design, construction, and operations services for corporations and governments. The company

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1120-622: Was named from the initials of its four founders. CH2M was founded in 1946 in Corvallis, Oregon , by Oregon State University civil engineering professor Fred Merryfield and three of his students: Holly Cornell, James Howland and Thomas Burke Hayes. Cornell, Howland, and Hayes were all graduates of Oregon State University . The company became CH2M Hill after a merger with Clair A. Hill & Associates in 1971. The firm remained headquartered in Oregon until 1980, when it moved to Colorado. In 2000,

1155-499: Was never cashed and Stevens did not get any ownership rights. Adak Fisheries paid Stevens $ 295,000 between 2000 and 2004. On October 2, 2008, U.S. District Judge in Washington, D.C. Emmet G. Sullivan denied the mistrial petition of Ted Stevens's chief counsel, Brendan Sullivan , regarding allegations of withholding evidence by prosecutors. However, the latter were admonished and submitted themselves for an internal probe by

1190-621: Was never charged but it was found he had turned down illegal campaign assistance. Sarah Palin is another Alaskan politician that received campaign support from VECO. The International Herald Tribune reported on September 3, 2008, "As Palin campaigned unsuccessfully in 2002 to become lieutenant governor, she received contributions from executives at VECO Corp., a powerful Alaska oil field services company." The questionable donations totaled $ 4,500, over 10% of all her funding that year. Allen admitted that he had given executives money to be contributed in his "bonus" program though he denied knowing that

1225-564: Was organized in Corvallis, Oregon , and headquartered at 9191 South Jamaica Street, Englewood, Colorado . In December 2017, the company was acquired by Jacobs Engineering Group . The company played a major role in the Panama Canal expansion project . The company developed, maintained and published its own method for managing projects for clients, called the CH2M Hill Project Delivery System. The firm

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