Vic Kohring, the former state legislator who pleaded guilty to a federal felony for accepting bribes in 2011, has now decided to run for the U.S. Senate seat in the upcoming election.

It was in 2007 that Kohring was convicted by jury on corruption, bribery and extortion charges, he was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for his wrongdoings. But, Kohring appealed his conviction after it was found that prosecutors withheld information from his defense.

Instead of going to trial again on the three charges he was convicted on previously, Kohring chose instead to plead guilty to a single charge where he admitted to taking a bribe from former Veco chairman Bill Allen. As a result of the plea agreement, Kohring would get off with time served and was placed on probation for a period of 18 months.

Kohring admitted to accepting $1,000 from Bill Allen and had asked Allen to pay off a $17,000 credit card debt.

Kohring, who resigned from his state  representative seat after his 2007 indictment, attempted to get elected to a Wasilla city council seat last year, but, Wasilla voters did not give the once powerful Republican the seat.

Now, Kohring has changed his party affiliation from Republican to the Alaskan Independence Party and is attempting to gain that party’s nomination. He faces off against another Wasilla resident, Zach Kile, in the August primary.

  Alaska, bribery, conviction, election, felony, independence party, senate, vic kohring