New Private Prison Corruption - Cornell in Alaska

Politicians, corruption and private prisons just go hand in hand...Cornell is currently trying to build a 1500 bed women's prison in Hudson, Colorado. They sold it to the voters as a 750-bed women's prison. The odd thing is that we couldn't fill that prison for at least a decade, our growth in the women's prison population isn't even keeping our current women's prisons full. So what are they really trying to do up there in Hudson?

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- New details are emerging in the government's corruption probe against former state Rep. Tom Anderson as attorneys prepare for his trial Monday.

The government has filed a trial brief laying out who is involved, how the pitch was made and the meetings and actions it says Anderson took.

Anderson's attorney wouldn't comment on the details, but said he is outraged at the inclusion of what appear to be references to Anderson's wife, Sen. Lesil McGuire.

The brief also makes it clear that other, unrelated investigations were underway when the federal government's unnamed source was approached to participate in a bribery scheme.

Based on court records and sources close to the investigation, Channel 2 News believes the confidential source who allegedly recorded every move is former lobbyist Frank Prewitt.

Prewitt worked for Texas-based Cornell Companies, a private firm looking to open a private prison in Alaska and a juvenile treatment facility in Anchorage. The company also runs halfway houses throughout the state.

Anderson is accused of taking money from the government source on behalf of Cornell in exchange for official acts.

Another lobbyist, Bill Bobrick, has already entered a guilty plea in connection with the scheme. He is expected to testify at Anderson's trial.

In the trial brief, prosecutors cite a recording in which Bobrick tries to convince the informant the scheme was worth the money, suggesting Cornell would have two legislators working for them in Juneau because of Anderson's romantic involvement with another lawmaker.

"Cornell would get two legislators," Bobrick is quoted as saying. "You know, chair of labor and commerce, and chair of judiciary ... That's the minimum we're going to have next year."

There has been no public link between the prison case and other corruption cases, including the VECO bribery claims. However, VECO Corp. and Cornell do have a relationship -- in 2003, VECO and Cornell Companies teamed up on trying to get a private prison built in Whittier.NEWS ARTICLE