Frank Prewitt
Encyclopedia
James Franklin Prewitt is an American
attorney
, government affairs consultant, and a confidential source the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) relied on to help prosecute "PolarPen," the Alaska political corruption probe. Prewitt is the author of Last Bridge to Nowhere, a fictionalized book that describes his work as a confidential source the FBI relied on to initiate the Alaska political corruption probe that currently is still under way.
on January 31, 1949. He was the youngest of three children born to Catherine and James Prewitt, co-founder of Western Baptist College (now Corban University) in Salem, Oregon
. He attended public and international school in the San Francisco bay area
and Israel
and earned a Bachelor of Science
degree from Corban College
, a Master of Science
degree from the University of Oregon
and Juris Doctor
degree from the University of Puget Sound
School of Law.
During graduate school Frank served as a Trooper
with the Oregon State Police
(OSP). In his final semester of law school he was appointed legal extern to retired United States District Court
Judge James Singleton
and during the 1970s and 1980s instructed justice courses as adjunct faculty for Anchorage Community College.
, Prewitt served as a Psychiatric Social Worker and Director of the Alaska Psychiatric Institute, Assistant Attorney General, Deputy Commissioner
and Commissioner of the Department of Corrections.
When the State of Alaska’s only Psychiatric Hospital was at risk of losing accreditation, Governor
Walter Hickel appointed Prewitt CEO, relying on his “exceptional management skills” to successfully re-organize and re-focus the hospital as a provider of quality inpatient and outpatient mental health services.
Prewitt served under, and at the will of three successive Alaska Governors (Bill Sheffield, Steve Cowper
and Walter Hickel). In his final year of public service, editorial writers of Alaska’s largest newspaper twice applauded Commissioner Prewitt for his, “unusually level-headed approach to the high charged issue of crime…when he argues ‘adding police and prosecutors, without giving equal attention to prevention, custody and treatment alternatives may be tough-minded, but it’s also soft-headed and fiscally irresponsible.” He has a daughter, Kelly Prewitt, living in Portland Oregon.
practice advising and representing human service organizations pursuing business partnership, outsourcing opportunity, funding, statutory and regulatory change with Alaska state and local government.
From 1998 to 2004 Prewitt was the consulting government affairs and corrections expert for corporate partnerships pursuing construction and operation of private correctional facilities in Alaska, Oregon
and Washington. The venture rotated through a succession of corporate principals including Allvest Inc, GEO Group
(formerly Wackenhut), Cornell Corrections, Chugach Alaska Corporation
(Alaska Native Regional Corporation), VECO Intl Inc, Kenai Native Association, Neeser Construction and the architectural firms of Koonce Pfeffer Bettis and Livingston-Slone.
investigations as an FBI confidential source exposing Alaska’s sub-culture of political corruption prosecuting the Alaska political corruption probe. Prewitt provided strategic consultation, covert operations and trial testimony that laid the foundation for the continuing investigation and indictments that have followed (Alaska political corruption probe) In the words of the FBI, “We couldn’t have done it without Frank. His help was absolutely indispensable.”
On October 10, 2007 the Anchorage Daily News
reported, "After court on Thursday, prosecutor Joe Bottini took the unusual step of singling out prosecution witness Frank Prewitt, who has been working undercover for the FBI since 2004…his work helped investigators get the evidence they needed for wiretaps and bugs in Suite 604 of (Juneau's) Baranof Hotel. Bottini said that Prewitt has done a ‘tremendous job’ for the government, 'we owe him a lot, frankly.'"
Two of the early private prisons venture partners were caught up in the ongoing Alaska political corruption probe leading to blog
ger and press speculation that Prewitt's service to the federal government may have been the result of a secret plea agreement although no formal charges were placed. Prewitt contends his participation with the FBI began after he was cleared. Court documents filed on March 22, 2010 in a criminal appeal indicated that Prewitt had been paid $200,000 for his assistance.
In the trial of ex-Representative Tom Anderson, Prewitt, a former commissioner for the Alaska Department of Corrections, explained how he was willing to go undercover for the feds to try to ease his own criminal exposure in unrelated investigations.
, Prewitt testified that he accepted a $30,000 loan from Bill Weimar in 1994, four months before the end of his term as Commissioner
of Corrections. He testified it was a personal loan offered during a family emergency that he gratefully accepted and repaid by providing six months of legal consulting work for Allvest Inc from February 1995 to July 1995. He testified that Bill Weimar had a contract to provide halfway house services to Corrections. Neither the prosecution nor defense offered evidence that the loan was accepted in exchange for official acts, special interest favors, or was related in any way to a specific impropriety.
Allvest...face(d) two lawsuits that allege its board of directors defrauded plaintiffs in two 2001 court judgments that held the private corporation responsible for wrongful actions. Attorneys Tim Dooley and Brett von Gemmingen...allege that Allvest owner William C. Weimar sold Allvest assets valued at more than $17 million and distributed most of those funds to himself, with the transfer approved by the Allvest board of directors: Weimar, Frank Prewitt and Robert Cronen. "These transfers were made with the intent to evade just obligations," Dooley allege(d) in his lawsuit...
Prewitt also acknowledged making an improper campaign contribution in 2002 that could have resulted in a civil fine or written warning if the violation had come to the attention of the Alaska Public Offices Commission. The issue was moot because fines or warnings for Alaska campaign contribution violations can only be issued within twelve months of the alleged violation (Alaska Statutes 15.56.130). The defense used both incidents as an attempt to question Prewitt's motives and believability before the jury. The defense was unsuccessful and on July 9, 2007 Thomas Anderson was convicted on all seven counts of criminal extortion
, bribery
and money laundering
. On October 15, 2007 Anderson was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Weimar subsequently pled guilty to two counts of corruption and was also sentenced to federal prison.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, government affairs consultant, and a confidential source the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) relied on to help prosecute "PolarPen," the Alaska political corruption probe. Prewitt is the author of Last Bridge to Nowhere, a fictionalized book that describes his work as a confidential source the FBI relied on to initiate the Alaska political corruption probe that currently is still under way.
Early years
James Franklin Prewitt, also known as "Frank Prewitt", was born in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
on January 31, 1949. He was the youngest of three children born to Catherine and James Prewitt, co-founder of Western Baptist College (now Corban University) in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. He attended public and international school in the San Francisco bay area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from Corban College
Corban College
Corban University is a private, independent Baptist college in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1935 as Western Baptist Bible College in Arizona, the school moved to Oregon near Salem in 1969 and changed its name to Corban College in 2005, and to the present moniker in 2010...
, a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree from the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
and Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from the University of Puget Sound
University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States...
School of Law.
During graduate school Frank served as a Trooper
Trooper (police rank)
Trooper is a rank used by several civilian police forces in the United States. In its plural form, troopers, it generally refers to members of state highway patrol or state police agencies, even though those officers may not necessarily be of the rank of trooper.For example, in the Louisiana State...
with the Oregon State Police
Oregon State Police
The Oregon State Police is the main state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. They have been charged to enforce all of Oregon's criminal laws and to help local law enforcement agencies with their duties...
(OSP). In his final semester of law school he was appointed legal extern to retired United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
Judge James Singleton
James Singleton
James Singleton may refer to:* James Keith Singleton, Jr. , American judge* James Singleton , basketball player* James Singleton , American bassist and member of Astral Project* Jim Singleton, political activist...
and during the 1970s and 1980s instructed justice courses as adjunct faculty for Anchorage Community College.
Government service
In thirteen years of public service to the State of AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Prewitt served as a Psychiatric Social Worker and Director of the Alaska Psychiatric Institute, Assistant Attorney General, Deputy Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner
A deputy commissioner is a police or administrative official in many different countries.-Australia:In all Australian police forces, deputy commissioner is the rank directly below that of commissioner and senior to the rank of assistant commissioner except in the New South Wales Police Force, where...
and Commissioner of the Department of Corrections.
When the State of Alaska’s only Psychiatric Hospital was at risk of losing accreditation, Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Walter Hickel appointed Prewitt CEO, relying on his “exceptional management skills” to successfully re-organize and re-focus the hospital as a provider of quality inpatient and outpatient mental health services.
Prewitt served under, and at the will of three successive Alaska Governors (Bill Sheffield, Steve Cowper
Steve Cowper
Steve Cowper is an American Democratic politician who was the sixth Governor of Alaska of Alaska from 1986 to 1990. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and later served in the Alaska House of Representatives before being elected governor.Cowper served as Governor at...
and Walter Hickel). In his final year of public service, editorial writers of Alaska’s largest newspaper twice applauded Commissioner Prewitt for his, “unusually level-headed approach to the high charged issue of crime…when he argues ‘adding police and prosecutors, without giving equal attention to prevention, custody and treatment alternatives may be tough-minded, but it’s also soft-headed and fiscally irresponsible.” He has a daughter, Kelly Prewitt, living in Portland Oregon.
Private practice
In 1995 Prewitt established a private consulting and lobbyingLobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
practice advising and representing human service organizations pursuing business partnership, outsourcing opportunity, funding, statutory and regulatory change with Alaska state and local government.
From 1998 to 2004 Prewitt was the consulting government affairs and corrections expert for corporate partnerships pursuing construction and operation of private correctional facilities in Alaska, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Washington. The venture rotated through a succession of corporate principals including Allvest Inc, GEO Group
GEO Group
The GEO Group, Inc. is a company headquartered in One Park Place, Boca Raton, Florida. GEO is a multi-national provider of governmental services specializing in the management of correctional, detention and mental health and residential treatment in North America, Australia, South Africa and the...
(formerly Wackenhut), Cornell Corrections, Chugach Alaska Corporation
Chugach Alaska Corporation
Chugach Alaska Corporation, or CAC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Chugach Alaska Corporation was incorporated in Alaska on June 23, 1972...
(Alaska Native Regional Corporation), VECO Intl Inc, Kenai Native Association, Neeser Construction and the architectural firms of Koonce Pfeffer Bettis and Livingston-Slone.
Combating political corruption
From 2004 to 2007 Prewitt worked covert undercoverUndercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
investigations as an FBI confidential source exposing Alaska’s sub-culture of political corruption prosecuting the Alaska political corruption probe. Prewitt provided strategic consultation, covert operations and trial testimony that laid the foundation for the continuing investigation and indictments that have followed (Alaska political corruption probe) In the words of the FBI, “We couldn’t have done it without Frank. His help was absolutely indispensable.”
On October 10, 2007 the Anchorage Daily News
Anchorage Daily News
The Anchorage Daily News is a daily newspaper based in Anchorage, Alaska, in the United States. It is often referred to colloquially as either "the Daily News" or "the ADN"...
reported, "After court on Thursday, prosecutor Joe Bottini took the unusual step of singling out prosecution witness Frank Prewitt, who has been working undercover for the FBI since 2004…his work helped investigators get the evidence they needed for wiretaps and bugs in Suite 604 of (Juneau's) Baranof Hotel. Bottini said that Prewitt has done a ‘tremendous job’ for the government, 'we owe him a lot, frankly.'"
Two of the early private prisons venture partners were caught up in the ongoing Alaska political corruption probe leading to blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger and press speculation that Prewitt's service to the federal government may have been the result of a secret plea agreement although no formal charges were placed. Prewitt contends his participation with the FBI began after he was cleared. Court documents filed on March 22, 2010 in a criminal appeal indicated that Prewitt had been paid $200,000 for his assistance.
In the trial of ex-Representative Tom Anderson, Prewitt, a former commissioner for the Alaska Department of Corrections, explained how he was willing to go undercover for the feds to try to ease his own criminal exposure in unrelated investigations.
Criticism
Under cross examination during the criminal trial of former Alaska Representative Thomas AndersonThomas Anderson
Thomas Anderson may refer to:*Thomas David Anderson , Scottish astronomer*Thomas H. Anderson, Jr. , American diplomat*Thomas H. Anderson , United States federal judge*Thomas J...
, Prewitt testified that he accepted a $30,000 loan from Bill Weimar in 1994, four months before the end of his term as Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of Corrections. He testified it was a personal loan offered during a family emergency that he gratefully accepted and repaid by providing six months of legal consulting work for Allvest Inc from February 1995 to July 1995. He testified that Bill Weimar had a contract to provide halfway house services to Corrections. Neither the prosecution nor defense offered evidence that the loan was accepted in exchange for official acts, special interest favors, or was related in any way to a specific impropriety.
Allvest...face(d) two lawsuits that allege its board of directors defrauded plaintiffs in two 2001 court judgments that held the private corporation responsible for wrongful actions. Attorneys Tim Dooley and Brett von Gemmingen...allege that Allvest owner William C. Weimar sold Allvest assets valued at more than $17 million and distributed most of those funds to himself, with the transfer approved by the Allvest board of directors: Weimar, Frank Prewitt and Robert Cronen. "These transfers were made with the intent to evade just obligations," Dooley allege(d) in his lawsuit...
Prewitt also acknowledged making an improper campaign contribution in 2002 that could have resulted in a civil fine or written warning if the violation had come to the attention of the Alaska Public Offices Commission. The issue was moot because fines or warnings for Alaska campaign contribution violations can only be issued within twelve months of the alleged violation (Alaska Statutes 15.56.130). The defense used both incidents as an attempt to question Prewitt's motives and believability before the jury. The defense was unsuccessful and on July 9, 2007 Thomas Anderson was convicted on all seven counts of criminal extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
and money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
. On October 15, 2007 Anderson was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Weimar subsequently pled guilty to two counts of corruption and was also sentenced to federal prison.