Alaska Lawmaker Accused Of Taking Bribes, Republican Rep. Out On $10,000 Bail Options

[batmanchester]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- An Alaska lawmaker accused of getting thousands of dollars out of a corrections-company consultant in exchange for his help in the Legislature has been charged with extortion, conspiracy, bribery and money laundering.

State Rep. Thomas T. Anderson, 39, pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment Friday in federal court. He was released on a $10,000 bond and given permission to go on a family vacation in Mexico.


Anderson, a Republican from Anchorage, was arrested Thursday, a day after a federal grand jury handed up an indictment, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher said.

The seven-count indictment alleges that from July 2004 to March 2005, Anderson and the lobbyist received $26,000 from the consultant in exchange for Anderson's agreement to act on his behalf in the Legislature.

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