Posted on 03/16/2012 4:46:41 PM PDT by Libloather
William Jefferson gets OK to attend funeral for former House colleague
By Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune
Updated: Monday, March 12, 2012, 4:14 PM
WASHINGTON -- Former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, has received court permission to attend Wednesday's funeral for Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., one of his closest friends when both served on Capitol Hill. The funeral will be held in Newark, N.J, with a public viewing on Tuesday. Payne, 77, died last week after being diagnosed with colon cancer.
**SNIP**
Ellis gave Jefferson a 13-year sentence - the longest corruption sentence for a member of Congress -- after his 2009 conviction. Most of the charges related to his efforts to secure contracts from businesses that offered, and in some cases paid money, to businesses controlled by Jefferson's family.
In his appeal, Jefferson's lawyers argue that Ellis erred when he told the jury that influencing foreign officials is routinely part of a congressional member's official duties.
His lawyers argue that Jefferson's work in Africa on behalf of clients, while potentially a violation of House Ethics Rules, are not applicable under federal bribery laws because he wasn't acting as a member of Congress, but rather as a private businessman. None of the allegations against him, they said, relate to his official duties such as voting, introducing legislation, or conducting committee business.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
..depends on how long it would take to find people I'm suppose to pay off
or what info you have to spill on the ones trying to send you there.
Only 13 years? Kid stuff! We should send Dollar Bill to Sheriff Joe’s jail instead. It would be the longest 13-year sentence ever, hee hee.
Thanks Libloather.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2007-928
Yea NJ-10 Payne, Donald [D]
Yea LA-2 Jefferson, William [D]
That’s a good point. Were it you or I, I doubt a judge would let us out to attend our own mother’s funeral, much less someone unrelated and half a country away.
Then again, you and I probably would never commit 11 felonies, either.
deal cutting
Mr Payne several years ago came up with a brilliant solution for teen car thief when it was the highest in the nation (Newark).....as punishment he would make the sixteen year old’s wait until they were 21 to be able to get a license...tough eh? (moron)
Interesting that they’re allowing him to attend the funeral of a non-relative. I realize it’s the Feds, but when I worked in NY State Corrections, an inmate could only request a sick bed visit or funeral attendance if it was an immediate family member. And it wasn’t guaranteed that he/she’d be allowed the visit. The inmate would be escorted by two uniformed officers. I doubt this is standard practice in the Federal system, and by letting him go to the funeral of a friend, they may be opening up a can of worms. If they do it for him, what’s going to stop anyone else from requesting the same privilege? I wonder how much money this is going to cost the taxpayers.
I’m surprised I didn’t hear Payne had died.
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