Alaska pols indicted in corruption probe

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, May 4 (UPI) -- Two former members of the Alaska Legislature were indicted Friday on federal charges of extortion, bribery, wire fraud and mail fraud.

Pete Kott and Bruce Weyhrauch were arrested and jailed in Juneau, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

Kott and Weyhrauch face charges in connection to legislative consideration in 2006 of a natural gas pipeline and a petroleum production tax.

Kott, a former House speaker, is charged with seeking and accepting bribes for supporting positions favorable to executives of a company that is referred to as "Company A" in the indictment. Weyhrauch allegedly traded votes for the promise of a job.

The indictment described the company as a privately owned entity that "provided services to the energy, resources and process industries," the newspaper said. The indictment refers to a prison the company was constructing in Barbados, and the newspaper said that seems to identify the company as Veco Inc., an oil-field services company based in Anchorage.

Kott and Weyhrauch were among six lawmakers whose offices were raided by federal agents in August as part of an investigation into corruption.

FBI spokesman Eric Gonzalez would not say if further arrests would be made.