Rocky Williams, the witness whose non-testimony at the trial of Sen. Ted Stevens proved as controversial as the statements of some others who did take the stand, died in Anchorage Tuesday. He was 58.
Williams was a trusted employee of Bill Allen, president of the oil-field service company Veco Corp., and oversaw Veco's extensive renovations to Stevens' home in Girdwood starting in 2000. He told the Anchorage Daily News in a series of interviews last year that he worked for Veco until around 2004, when he found himself on the outs with the Allen family with little explanation.
Williams said he was approached by the FBI in 2006 and was interviewed extensively by the two main agents on the case, his contact Chad Joy and agent Mary Beth Kepner. He also testified before a federal grand jury in Anchorage, he said. He didn't feel the need to get an attorney, he said, and didn't negotiate an immunity deal.
"I've got nothing to hide. Don't worry about it a whole lot," he said.
Prosecutors flew Williams to Washington in September and announced him as a witness in Stevens' trial. Williams would potentially offer proof that Stevens got gifts from Veco that he failed to disclose on annual financial statements. But Williams, who often professed admiration and fondness for Stevens, was also listed as a defense witness, and without ever calling him to the stand, the government sent him to back to Alaska.
Read the full story at adn.com.