Aaron Jansen illustration

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ANALYSIS: After three years of being the federal government's songbird, former oilman and millionaire Bill Allen is expected Wednesday morning to be sentenced to prison for his role in the sweeping Alaska political corruption scandal. There's been speculation that there are more politicians and other Alaskans who should be investigated for corruption. In fact, Allen's unsuccessful motion to delay sentencing indicates as much.

But even if the FBI continues to investigate every Alaska public official who has ever accepted bad money, vital questions still need to be answered on how the feds conducted their probe in the first place.

RELATED STORIES: Another sexual abuse claim threatens to taint star witness in Stevens's trial Full Disclosure: Anchorage police say Allen's name came up in a 2004 criminal investigation--one suspended at the request of the feds. DOWNLOAD MOTION: Pete Kott's motion to dismiss

Just as what happened with the government's failed case against former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, allegations have now emerged that federal prosecutors and agents may have cut corners, coached and shaped Allen's testimony, and failed to turn over evidence that might have called into question the motivation behind Allen's generosity to former state Rep. Pete Kott, who was convicted in fall 2007 for taking bribes.

Still, there is a significant difference between the malfeasance in the Stevens' trial and what is now being alleged by Kott.

That's because although they flirted with doing so, Stevens' lawyers never brought up allegations that Allen, 72, had sexual relationships with underage girls over the course of years. Kott's lawyer is now going down this road, claiming the feds should have revealed the alleged problems plaguing Allen before Kott stood trial. These facts might have been useful for Kott to question why Allen was now accusing him of bribery; why Allen decided to cooperate with the government in the first place.

But there are much larger implications at stake, too.

On the surface, it appears the federal government might have hindered local police from doing their job - investigating alleged child sex crimes. And this raises a public policy question: Was it more important to investigate politicians for corruption than probing a prominent businessman accused of sexually abusing minors?

Let's be clear: Allen has not been charged with any crime related to the sex allegations and has firmly denied through his lawyers any wrongdoing. Neither has it been proven that the federal government covered up the allegations facing Allen or that it prevented Anchorage detectives from pursing the claims.