The longest-serving Republican in the US Senate has been found guilty of lying about free gifts he received from a wealthy oil contractor.

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, had been hoping to win re-election next week, but last night he faced the end of his 40-year political career, after being convicted on seven corruption charges.

The guilty verdict will make a difficult race almost impossible for the 84-year-old senator, and brings the Democrats one crucial seat closer to realising their bid for a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

Stevens’s downfall will provide another unwelcome distraction for John McCain, whose efforts to run an anti-sleaze ticket have already been compromised by the Troopergate inquiry, which found that his running mate, Sarah Palin, had used her position as Governor of Alaska to settle a personal score.

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The month-long trial revealed that employees for VECO Corp., an oil services company, transformed Mr Stevens’s modest mountain cabin into a modern, two-storey home with porches, a sauna and a wine cellar. He also received other gifts, including a sled dog, and a massage chair.

However, Stevens insisted he had no idea he was getting freebies. He said he paid $160,000 for the project and believed that covered everything.

The Senator, whose political career predates Alaska’s statehood, had asked for an unusually speedy trial, hoping he would be exonerated in time to return to the state and win the re-election. He kept his campaign going and gave no indication that he had a contingency plan in case of conviction.

“Put this down: That will never happen — ever, OK?” Stevens said in the weeks leading up to his trial. “I am not stepping down. I’m going to run through, and I’m going to win this election.” Despite his conviction, he is not required to drop out of the race or resign from the Senate, and there is no rule barring criminals from serving in Congress.

In fact, given the tight timeframe, Stevens’s name will remain on the ballot, regardless of whether or not he resigns, putting the Republicans in the unwelcome position of having to support a corrupt candidate.

The senator showed no emotion as the jury foreman said “guilty” seven times. After the verdicts, he sat in his chair and stared at the ceiling as his lawyer, Brendan Sullivan, put his arm around him.

Stevens faces up to five years in prison on each count when he is sentenced, but under federal guidelines he is likely to receive much less prison time, if any.

Stevens is a legendary figure in Alaska, where he has wielded political influence for more than 40 years. His knack for steering billions of dollars in federal money to his home state has drawn praise from his constituents and consternation from budget hawks.

In Alaska, the Democratic Party issued a statement calling on Stevens to resign immediately. “He knew what he was doing was wrong,” the party said. “But he did it anyway and lied to Alaska.”

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