Justice is served: Federal jury finds Ted Stevens guilty of lying about gifts

The bigger they are, the harder they fall:

A jury has found U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens guilty of all seven counts of lying on his financial disclosure forms.

It is the highest-profile felony conviction in a sweeping four-year federal investigation into corruption in Alaska politics, and a rare conviction by a jury of a sitting U.S. senator.

As the verdict on the first count was read, Stevens slumped slightly. When the second count was read, his lawyer, Brendan Sullivan, reached over and put his arm around Stevens' shoulders.

The verdict almost feels like the end to an episode of Law & Order.

The corruption trial, which began Sept. 22, featured 24 government witnesses and 28 defense witnesses. Stevens himself took the stand in his own defense, a tactic that appeared to hurt him after he was painted by prosecutors as a disagreeable and mean-spirited man who considered himself above the law.

Stevens could appeal the verdict, but the conviction is already likely to cost him his Senate seat - and cause irreparable damage to his reputation. His Democratic challenger, Mark Begich, has not (at least to our knowledge) issued a statement, but when and if he does, I'll update this post.

UPDATE: Begich's statement:

This past year has been a difficult time for Alaskans, but our people are strong and resilient and I believe that we will be able to move forward together to address the critical challenges that face Alaska.

Stevens had gambled on being acquitted, declaring that he expected his innocence to be recognized after having his day in court.

Instead, he was found guilty on all seven charges.