Court papers indicate that former Veco Corp. head Bill Allen won't be a government witness in the corruption trial against former state Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch. Weyhrauch's lawyer, Doug Pope, filed a memorandum with U.S. District Court in Anchorage saying that federal prosecutors told him they have no intention of calling Allen to testify. Allen pleaded guilty to bribery and tax violations and now is serving three years at a federal facility in California. It's unclear how the government would prosecute Weyhrauch without Allen. However, there are other Veco officials they could call. Allen's credibility has suffered since he was the chief government witness in three prior federal corruption trials, including that of former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)