Federal prosecutors later agreed not to retry Weyhrauch on felony charges in exchange for Weyhrauch's agreement to ple guilty to a single misdemeanor in an Alaska State Court. An Alaska State Court Judge then gave Weyhrauch a three-month suspended jail sentence, and a $1,000 fine. The probe began in 2004 or earlier. By 2006 the name "Corrupt Bastards Club" (alternatively "Corrupt Bastards Caucus") began being used to designate Alaska legislators implicated in the federal corruption (a.k.a., "Polar Pen") investigation. The nickname originated in the spring of 2006 as a barroom joke among Alaska legislators after a guest article by Lori Backes, executive director of All Alaska Alliance, that ran in Alaska's three largest newspapers named 11 lawmakers who h received large campaign contributions from executives of the oilfield services company VECO Corporation, which h a lo
ng history of making large campaign contributions to Alaska politicians. The article also named Senate President Ben Stevens as having received large consulting fees from VECO. In her article, Backes detailed the amount of political campaign donations contributed between 1998 and 2004 by the top seven VECO executives to Alaska lawmakers who were in office at the time her article was written. The figures were based on reports to the Alaska Public Offices Commission ditionally, Backes noted the consulting contract Senate President Ben Stevens (R-Anchorage) h with VECO Corporation and financial relationships other lawmakers h with other companies active in the oil and gas industry, including ConocoPhillips and ASCG Incorporated, the latter a subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation which is heavily involved in oilfield business in Alaska. According to Chenault, one of the lawmakers named in the article: "Somebody walked up [in the bar] and said, 'You corrupt bastards,&#
39; and that name stuck." Hats with the label "CBC," standing for "Corrupt Bastards Club" or "Corrupt Bastards Caucus," were later printed up, but according to Chenault "that was the extent of the CBC ." In the first week of August 2006, an ill Representative Carl Moses returned to Juneau from receiving treatment in Anchorage, to cast a critical vote that insured passage of a bill giving tax breaks to the oil industry. The vote took place, shortly after Moses received campaign contributions from Bill Allen and five other VECO executives, the Democrat to receive any from that source. The FBI h set up in a Baranof hotel suite just three blocks away from the capitol building in Juneau. T they videotaped VECO's CEO Bill Allen, peeling off bills for legislators to stuff in their pockets. According to the Juneau Empire, Ray Metcalfe said he h spoken with FBI agents about the case, but didn't k how the feds first got interested in Alaska
."I think the jury is still out on what started this," said Metcalfe. Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho, the longest serving attorney general in the state's history over two ministrations, said it looked like those state agencies responsible for ensuring ethical government failed to do their jobs, but it is too soon to tell for sure. Raids on legislative offices On August 31 and September 1, 2006 the FBI served some 20 search warrants in Anchorage, Juneau, Wasilla, Eagle River, Girdwood, and Willow, primarily on the offices of several legislators. Republican legislators whose offices were searched included Senator John Cowdery, Senate President (and son of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens) Ben Stevens, Representatives Vic Kohring, Bruce Weyhrauch, Pete Kott and Bev Masek as well as Democratic Senator Donny Olson. The warrants permitted the search of computer files, personal diaries, Alaska Public Offices Commission reports, and any other items shog evidence of financial ties between
legislators and the oilfield services company VECO Corporation, as well as clothing items with the phrase "Corrupt Bastards Club" or its related acronym printed on it. A search warrant for Sen. Olson's Juneau office, me available by his office to the public, specifiy authorized the seizure of documents relating to VECO Corporation executives Bill Allen (CEO), Richard Smith (vice president), Pete Leathard (president), and Roger Chan (chief financial officer). The warrant also authorized the seizure of clothing, including hats, bearing the logos or phrases "VECO," "Corrupt Bastards Caucus," "Corrupt Bastards Club," or "CBC" printed on them. John Cowdery was indicted for bribery and extortion under official right and bribery concerning programs that receive federal funding. Management of corruption investigation
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