TM7: No the judge admonished the prosecution for procedural errors but let the trial continue. Then he was found guilty, because the prosecution and the judge only let the false evidence of guilt be herd, they suppressed the evidence of innocence. The guilty charge was announced just before the election. Stevens lost by a very small amount. Prosacution has now asked that all charges be dropped, but the court has not acted yet.
These charges were politically motivated. They wanted to ruin the strongest Senator in Washington, and they did so. They also wanted to get a Democrat in his position, they were successful in that accord as well. Now we are stuck with the liberal Begich.