In this Feb. 2008, file photo, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, listens to questions from journalists, following his address to the state legislature, in Juneau, Alaska.

FROM THE HILL TO THE COURTS FROM THE HILL TO THE COURTS Members of Congress who have been charged with crimes since 2000: • July 29, 2008: Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, indicted on seven counts of falsely reporting more than $250,000 in gifts and services he received from an oil services company that helped renovate his home. • Feb. 22, 2008: Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., indicted on charges of extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other crimes in an Arizona land deal that authorities say helped him collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in payoffs. • June 11, 2007: Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, arrested in a bathroom sex sting at the Minneapolis airport. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. He is now asking a state appeals court to let him withdraw his guilty plea. • June 4, 2007: Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., indicted on federal charges of racketeering, soliciting bribes and money laundering in a long-running bribery investigation into business deals he tried to broker in Africa. • Jan. 19, 2007: Former representative Bob Ney, R-Ohio, sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for trading political favors for gifts and campaign donations from lobbyist Jack Abramoff. • March 3, 2006: Former representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., sentenced to eight years and four months in prison. He collected $2.4 million in homes, yachts, antique furnishings and other bribes in a corruption scheme. • Oct. 3, 2005: Former representative Tom DeLay, R-Texas, charged with felony money laundering and conspiracy in connection with Republican fundraising efforts in 2002. One charge has been dropped and two others are being argued before a state appeals court. • Aug. 29, 2003: Rep. William Janklow, R-S.D., charged with felony second-degree manslaughter and three misdemeanors after his car struck and killed a motorcyclist. He was convicted of vehicular homicide and sentenced to 100 days in prison. • May 4, 2001: Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of tax evasion, bribery, racketeering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of racketeering and accepting bribes.



Sources: U.S. Senate Historical Office; U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk; Associated Press GOP senator from Alaska to be arraigned Thursday WASHINGTON  Ted Stevens, the U.S. Senate's longest-serving Republican and one of its most influential members, was slated to be arraigned in federal court Thursday — two days after his indictment on seven counts of failing to disclose more than $250,000 in gifts. Stevens, 84, returned to work Wednesday at the Capitol complex, taking part in a meeting of the Homeland Security Committee as it drafted a bill focused on government contractors. After the meeting, Stevens refused to answer questions from reporters. As far as any restrictions on his life and work are concerned, a federal judge will decide where and if Stevens can travel, with whom he needs to check in and what sorts of rules he will hvbe to follow as he continues his work on Capitol Hill and his re-election campaign. PROFILE: Stevens renowned for influence on Alaska politics ON DEADLINE: Feds indict Stevens The legal bombshell comes barely three months before Election Day — jeopardizing his campaign as well as damaging his party's changes of recapturing the Senate. Stevens, who has long steered federal funds to his home state of Alaska, was forced to give up his positions as top Republican on two other Senate panels — including one he once chaired that controls defense spending. On Tuesday, he became the first senator to be indicted in 15 years. Stevens says he will fight the charges, but he did not address his political future. "It saddens me to learn that these charges have been brought against me," Stevens said in a statement. "I have never knowingly submitted a false disclosure form required of a U.S. senator." Senate Democrats hold a 51-49 voting majority, and the indictment could put a safe Republican seat into play. "I don't think he's going to survive this" politically, says Gerald McBeath, a political scientist at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. MORE: Read Stevens' background on his website INDICTMENT: Read Stevens' Grand Jury Indictment PDF The indictment charged Stevens with failing to report gifts from VECO, an Alaska oilfield contractor, on Senate disclosure forms filed for 1999 through 2006. The gifts were largely for renovations on Stevens' home. At the time, VECO asked Stevens for favors, including help with its projects in Pakistan and Russia, the indictment says. The grand jury did not charge Stevens with accepting bribes in exchange for helping VECO, which has been at the center of an ongoing public corruption probe in Alaska that has led to seven convictions. "Bribery requires proof of a specific agreement of a quid pro quo of this for that," says Matthew Friedrich, acting assistant attorney general. "This indictment does not allege such an agreement." Contributing: Associated Press Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more