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Seven months removed from prison, former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana is trying to undo a $392,000 civil judgment for stockholders in a defunct telecommunications company that figured into his criminal case. He's asked a federal judge in Louisville, Ky., to reverse the order that he pay the money to iGate Inc. investors. The reason: The convictions on which the civil award rested have been overturned. "Thus, no basis any longer exist[s] on which this court may maintain its judgment and order," Jefferson's motion says.The lawsuit was filed 11 years ago by Daniel Cadle of Newton Falls, Ohio, on...

Four years to the week after federal agents found $90,000 stashed in a freezer at his Washington home, former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson was found guilty Wednesday of putting his clout up for sale. The guilty verdicts on 11 of 16 corruption counts ought to at last lift the cloud that Mr. Jefferson's tawdry behavior has cast over New Orleans since the FBI raid Aug. 3, 2005. Oddly enough, the jury in Alexandria, Va., returned a not guilty verdict on the count involving the $90,000, which prosecutors said Mr. Jefferson planned to deliver as a bribe to the vice president...

ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- Barring Supreme Court intervention, former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, will go on trial May 26, nearly two years after a federal grand jury indicted him on charges of demanding bribes to advance business projects in Western Africa. Thursday's scheduling of the trial by Judge T.S. Ellis III was a victory for Jefferson's lawyers, who had asked the judge, over Justice Department objections, to wait at least until late April, when they anticipate a Supreme Court ruling on their plea to drop 14 of the 16 charges pending against the former congressman. Their arguments, rejected by...

NEW ORLEANS - Supporters of a Democratic congressman charged with bribery and money laundering harkened to their civil rights days on Wednesday as they denounced the allegations against U.S. Rep. William Jefferson. The group, including ministers and the president of the local chapter of the NAACP, alleged the 16-count corruption indictment was the work of a Republican White House and Justice Department scheming to target black Democratic leaders and shift attention from legal troubles of Republican congressmen. "When it's all over, Bill Jefferson will stand up like Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. He will stand up in the...

The documents seized in the FBI raid on the offices of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) remain unread by Justice Department investigators, pending a federal Appeals Court ruling scheduled for August 27. [snip] But we already know a bit about the charges and some of the alleged partners of Congressman Jefferson. Two people have pleaded guilty to bribing him.

The documents seized in the FBI raid on the offices of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) remain unread by Justice Department investigators, pending a federal Appeals Court ruling scheduled for August 27. Jefferson is anxious to overturn the ruling of federal Judge Hogan of the Washington, DC federal District Court, who allowed the raid. One can only surmise that the seized documents contain material even more embarrassing than the discovery of $90,000 in cash in Jefferson’s freezer. But we already know a bit about the charges and some of the alleged partners of Congressman Jefferson. Two people have pleaded guilty to...

FBI starts probe of donated autos : When carmaker DaimlerChrysler AG donated 40 trucks and sport utility vehicles to Katrina-crushed governments in southeastern Louisiana last September, company officials never imagined some of them would wind up in the hands of private nonprofits. In fact, the company said Thursday that it made clear to the cities and parishes that received the gifts -- collectively valued at more than $1 million -- that they were for the exclusive use of public agencies or government units, such as police and fire departments. Dave Elshoff, a DaimlerChrysler spokesman, said those instructions were delivered, both...

by Mark Finkelstein May 9, 2006 Some people might think that striking a police officer, and almost striking a police car while driving under the influence of . . . something, are serious offenses. Not Chris Matthews. Here's how Matthews introduced this evening's Hardball, running down the rap sheet of various government officials who have had run-ins with the law in recent times: "Tonight, putting on the squeeze, putting on the sleaze. Another House aide cops a plea in the Abramoff case. "Dusty" Foggo quits over the poker-and-prostitute scam. Bill Jefferson gets tagged by a witness wearing a wire. Claude...