Fate of Sen. Stevens In the Jury's Hands

Allen, the prosecution's key witness, and Veco workers testified in detail about the transformation of Stevens's home from 2000 to 2002. The rustic house got a new first floor, two wraparound decks and a garage.

E-mails introduced as evidence showed that Stevens monitored the work through a friend who lived in town.

In closing arguments, Sullivan repeatedly returned to a letter that Stevens wrote to Allen in 2002, thanking the executive for the renovations and requesting a bill. Stevens wrote it after learning that Allen had decided, on his own, to add the first-floor deck, Sullivan said.

Prosecutors contend that Stevens was simply creating a paper trail to protect himself.

Saying that Stevens paid every bill his family received for remodeling work, Sullivan noted that the senator and his wife wrote $162,000 in checks to contractors for renovations and later saw the expense validated when the tax value of the house rose by $104,000.

Sullivan reminded jurors that former secretary of state Colin L. Powell and Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) testified to his integrity.

The defense lawyer also criticized Allen, who has pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges. But Bottini said Allen was believable.

Bottini and Morris also repeatedly needled Stevens for not removing alleged gifts, including the massage chair.

"Does anyone really believe he thought that chair was a loan?" Bottini asked. "What were the terms of this loan? Zero percent interest for 84 months?"