Stevens to face D.C. jury

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens' request to move his federal corruption trial to his home state of Alaska was denied Wednesday.

U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled a jury in Washington will determine whether the Republican is guilty of failing to report gifts he accepted from an oil contractor, The Anchorage Daily News reported.

Jury selection is to begin Sept. 22, the newspaper reported.

Stevens, 84, faces seven felony counts of knowingly accepting home repairs and gifts worth more than $250,000 from Veco Corp. and failing to report them on his annual Senate disclosure forms.

Attorneys for the longtime senator argued the case should have been heard in Alaska, where Velco is based. They also said it would be difficult for Stevens to be on trial in Washington while he is running for re-election in Alaska. Prosecutors said Stevens' re-election bid could taint the jury pool in Alaska.

Stevens, who faces six Republican opponents in Tuesday's primary election, did not attend Wednesday's court hearing.