Former Alaska Rep. Bev Masek Sentenced
The latest chapter in the long sordid story of the Corrupt Bastards Club came to an end today. Former five-term Valley Representative, and Iditarod musher Beverly Masek (R) was just sentenced to six months in federal prison, and three years probation, much shorter than the maximum five year penalty for conspiracy to commit bribery for which she pleaded guilty.
She accepted $4,000 in 2003 from former Veco Corp. chief executive Bill Allen, an oil-field contractor.
According to the charge, she begged for money from Allen and another Veco official, at one point killing a tax bill after Allen complained it would hurt his oil-industry clients, then collecting $2,000 for her efforts.
Masek had asked the court for leniency, citing an abusive husband, a nasty divorce, a drinking problem, personal finances, the fact that her political mentor was voted out of office, and depression as reasons she was lured to the dark side.
“In the legislature, I also think that Beverly was largely controlled by other people,” [Anchorage lawyer Sarah] Tugman wrote. “I witnessed her reliance on her aides and other legislators as the job was unfamiliar to her and she was neither sophisticated nor did she have the background education or skills to allow her to be very independent with respect to the issues that she was presented with and with which she was somewhat overwhelmed.”
Curtner didn’t offer an explanation about why Masek continued to run for an elective office she was apparently unqualified for, but said it was in that atmosphere that she became susceptible to pressure from Allen, a close friend of [political mentor Ramona]Barnes.
The moral of the story? Don’t elect and re-elect people without the background, education or skills to do the job. And don’t elect and re-elect legislators who are in the pockets of the oil industry. Just sayin’.
Boy howdy, on that moral! Just why DID she continue to run if she knew she was in over her head. I guess the thrill of the power really does go to the heads of some people.
Wow. That story sounds a bit familiar…thrill of power, in over her head…
File under..news to me..but a story y’all have been following..and..illuminating..over some period of time, I see. I would hope..that..as the sentences, and informations..as to what happened to her, how she was..in her way..set up for an unfortunate series of ..choices..she might..one day..bring skills, wisdom and educated outlooks..to a period..further-out..say 7 , 10 years..and rise to a period of service to her family, her extended community..and redeem herself..perhaps in nonpolitical arenas. 80 % of the population..in any area of the world..can be ‘caught up’ in newness..and reach to the wrong people, heed the siren voices..a little this day, a bit more tomorrow..and end up..at the bottom of a 20-story, shale-slide..and go “What the halifax..just happened?” I will hold a small sage and meditation for her today..as there must be much..she can find..deeper..in her soul..as she thinks about all this.
# 2 boodog Says:
September 24th, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Wow. That story sounds a bit familiar…thrill of power, in over her head…
——-
Exactly what I thought, waiting for the wheels of justice to turn on the Palin clan. Andree, Linda and others, keep up the good works!
and i had a flat tire to boot? ……..in addition to all the other bad things in her life that other people have ALSO but don’t resort to criminal behavior???
Beverly was an Iditarod musher. I am still at a loss to understand why a four time Iditarod race finisher would be lacking in the self confidence to learn the new job from the bottom up. I am a loss to understand someone with all that determination and skill in the wild would put up with an abusive husband. I just don’t get it.
I just don’t get it – if I were to actually mush the Dalzell Gorge on the Iditarod trail and LIVE, I would probably consider running for president:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iditarod_Trail_Sled_Dog_Race
The trail down Dalzell Gorge from the divide is regarded as the worst stretch of the trail. Steep and twisting, it drops 1,000 feet (300 m) in elevation in just 5 miles (8.0 km), and there is little traction so the teams are hard to control. Mushers have to ride the brake most of the way down, and use a snow hook for traction. In 1988, rookie Peryll Kyzer fell through an ice bridge into a creek, and spent the night wet. The route then follows Tatina River, which is also hazardous: in 1986 Butcher’s lead dogs fell through the ice, but landed on a second layer of ice instead of falling into the river. In 1997, Ramey Smyth lost the end of his pinkie when it hit an overhanging branch while negotiating the gorge.[4]
Hey, Bev!
You are a total and absolute disgrace to the Republican Party! Next time, think before you act. You should have asked for a hell of a lot more than four thou.
Unsophisticated, indeed. C’mon!
$4000 really isn’t that much money. If she was going to risk her freedom for someone who have millions. She should of taken enough to quit and live a happy but rich and low profile life. $4000, really doesn’t begin to pay your legal fees.
if you are going to steal. steal big. steal millions or billions. this is just sad and a little silly. poor lady.
Let’s see, abusive husband, nasty divorce, drinking problem, personal finances, mentor voted out of office. That’s FIVE things. She should have asked for $1000.00 per problem. $5000.00. How can I have respect for someone who can’t multiply?
She’s not a young adult where she can blame the lack of complete maturity of her brain for stupid decisions. She’s an ADULT that chose to accept money for something she KNEW was wrong. It doesn’t matter how abused, lack of money, alcoholic she might be, she made a decision when it came to her honor and respect.
Boodog,
Add Wasilla to the list of similarities and you’ve gota hat-trick. Wonder if she’s a hockey mom too?
not too smart, and she’s a cheap date.
Wasilla? I should have guessed that..
Beverly Masek is Alaska Native, pretty quiet in personality as many are by nature / culture. I’m actually not surprised her crime was for so little – she is not sophisticated and grew up in a very rural life in Anvik.
She apparently was the first Anvik resident to graduate from high school, or something like that (maybe the first to graduate from the HS there?). Not that I was ever impressed with her as a Rep., and less so now that I know who her “mentor” was…
With “Good Time”, she might do four months… through the worst of the winter in AK, I presume. A cake walk.
A month per $1000. Seems suitable.
“In the legislature, I also think that Beverly was largely controlled by other people,” [Anchorage lawyer Sarah] Tugman wrote. “I witnessed her reliance on her aides and other legislators as the job was unfamiliar to her and she was neither sophisticated nor did she have the background education or skills to allow her to be very independent with respect to the issues that she was presented with and with which she was somewhat overwhelmed.”
Excuse me? This woman was elected to FIVE terms and still didn’t know what she was doing? Do the Alaskan voters routinely elect mental morons?
Wait. Don’t answer that.
Pathetic story of personal problems mixed with public corruption.
I’m always surprised that people put so little value on personal reputation and character. You can’t buy back those traits once they’ve been sullied. Was it really worth it, Ms. Masek? Of course not.
mlaiuppa–I have one word for you–Wasilla!
Yep AKM, that’s exactly what I thought when I read the “relying on staff thingy, unfamiliar thingy” that sounds so like Reagan and Scarah, dependent of those under them to hold them up, back them up.
Seriously, to plead with a court that your corrupt illegal actions, crimes failed the public who put you in your job, were due to your CIRCUMSTANCES? Hmmm, sorry. That’s weak.
Her request for leniency makes the point that we should elect QUALIFIED people for office, not “just plain folks” who are “like us.” Jeez Louise!
So, leniency by reason of incompetence?
I bet that one will catch on.
Wow what a story. Way over her head? Sounds like someone who is a quitter.
Wow. To let your lawyer admit in court you were unqualified for the job you were elected to do, she must have been desperate.
But, I think of all the men who are getting away with things much worse then what she did and it makes me angry. Stevens, Tom DeLay, Don Young to name a few.
Palin was smart to quit in that respect. She was a disaster waiting to happen!
At one of my first jobs I was so frustrated and disgusted at how much Bev was so much like that Ramona Barnes on rural and native issues. I knew her background and of her husbands (and friends) puppetry and it pissed me off more a that she sold her roots to benefit the Alaskan segment of the population that was already well represented.
Out of frustration, I drew up a satirical comic of her name scrawled on the wall of the Juneau Capitol mens room. No sexual inuendo intended, but it was obvious who she took the lead from. CBC and the like. I did not share or spread it, but it was therapeutic! : )
I echo Martha Unalaska’s sentiment that Bev should have a spine of steel having run and completed the Iditarod not once but many times! My god, not everyone could last a few hours with that grueling, dangerous, uncomfortable and exhausting sport. Credit given where it is due.
Not to kick someone when they are down, but she is not shown how serious she could be about rehabilitation or sobriety. I hope six months clean and lots of perspective will change that. Either way, there are plenty of good and decent native women to look up to.
Six months in a federal pen should give her plenty of time to think about selling out the people and herself for so little.