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Prosecutors want a sentence of at least 27 years for a Democrat convicted of accepting more than $400,000 in bribes while in office. A federal court found 18-year Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) guilty this past August on 11 counts of bribery, racketeering and money-laundering. Federal guidelines specify he could face more than 20 years of prison time for his misdeeds, but prosecutors on Monday made clear they will make the case for at least 27 years — and a maximum of 33 years — when sentencing begins this Friday. The defense has yet to file its sentencing arguments, according to...

WASHINGTON – A federal judge has denied the request for a new trial by a former Louisiana congressman convicted on corruption charges. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III ruled against a motion by former Rep. William Jefferson on Friday in Alexandria, Va. Jefferson was convicted Aug. 5 on 11 of 16 federal counts for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa after federal agents found cash in his freezer. A jury ruled Jefferson must forfeit roughly $470,000. He later filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.

Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson and his wife, Andrea, have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection as the convicted ex-congressman prepares for a forfeiture hearing in his federal corruption case. William Jefferson was convicted earlier this month in Virginia on 11 of 16 corruption charges. He faces a forfeiture hearing because the jury found that he and his family received $470,000 and more than 30 million shares of stock proceeds as a result of criminal activities. Meanwhile, he and his wife are seeking protection from a handful of creditors. They owe more than $1 million and less than $10 million,...

Birds of a feather flock together.Let the record reflect that convicted gangster William Jefferson, a Democrat who used to represent New Orleans in the U.S. House of Representatives, has (or had might be a better word) ties to the radical activist group ACORN.ACORN and Jefferson weren't exactly bosom buddies, but they did work together.I call Jefferson a gangster, by the way, because last week he was convicted of racketeering.ACORN helped get Jefferson elected years ago.SEIU gave Jefferson's campaign $5,000 in the 2000 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Two of SEIU's locals are part of the ACORN network. Local 100 covers Louisiana....

William Jefferson legal saga far from overby Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune Friday August 07, 2009, 8:08 PM William Jefferson faces daunting challenges on top of the potentially lengthy prison term Judge T.S. Ellis III could impose Oct. 30 for his conviction this week on 11 of 16 corruption charges. The former congressman faces a forfeiture hearing at a yet undetermined date as a result of the jury's finding that he and his family received $470,000 and more than 30 million shares of stock proceeds as a result of criminal activities. He also must deal with a lawsuit in Kentucky brought...

After hearing evidence for more than one month in a federal court in Alexandria, Va., a jury found Jefferson guilty on 11 charged counts, including solicitation of bribes, honest services wire fraud, money laundering, racketeering and conspiracy. Jefferson was acquitted on three counts of honest services wire fraud, an obstruction of justice charge and of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III accepted the verdict and scheduled sentencing for Oct. 30, 2009. Jefferson faces a maximum penalty of 150 years in prison and the jury will reconvene tomorrow to address whether he will additionally face...

Here is FBI surveillance video showing former Louisiana Democrat Congressman William Jefferson accepting a briefcase with $100,000 from a woman who was wearing a wire. Wednesday, he was convicted on numerous corruption charges. The woman wearing the wire was a disgruntled businesswoman. Jefferson could face 20 years in prison. . . . . . (Watch Video)

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...

Reporting all the facts the mainstream media does not has been the province of certain bloggers, talk radio, a cable news channel and the “off-Broadway” (so to speak) media. These include conspiracy theories and political corruption that touch the Democratic Party. Such stories definitely will not be found on MSNBC. They will rarely be on CNN. Only occasionally will they be on NBC, CBS and ABC. As far as the New York Times is concerned, well, recall that on March 30, while working for The Bulletin, I broke the news that they spiked information in their possession about collusion between...

Jefferson on camera taking briefcase full of cash from a trunk of Cadillac released from Foxnews

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson has been found guilty of 11 of the 16 charges against him in a federal bribery and conspiracy trial. Jefferson was accused of accepting more than $400,000 in bribes and seeking millions more in exchange for brokering business deals in Africa.

Former Democratic Congressman William Jefferson was found guilty of 11 of 16 corruption charges today by a federal jury. The jury of eight women and four men returned a guilty verdict following five days of deliberation....

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A jury is scheduled to hear closing arguments Wednesday in the bribery trial of a former Louisiana congressman .. William Jefferson, a Democrat .. is accused of receiving more than $400,000 in bribes .. Jefferson's attorneys argue that their client was essentially acting as a private business consultant and never violated bribery laws.

William Jefferson trial about to enter final lapby Jonathan Tilove and Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune Friday July 17, 2009, 9:17 PM ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- The end is in sight for the corruption trial of former Democratic Congressman William Jefferson. **SNIP** After polling the jury, Ellis said that if testimony ends Wednesday, they would break until the following Tuesday, July 28. The break would enable the attorneys to prepare and for the court to resolve any remaining legal issues before the case goes to the jury. 'Explicit conflict of interest' Friday's session began with testimony from Thomas Hardy, an official of...

ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson is the first and only U.S. public official to be charged under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act since it was enacted in 1977. He is one of only two individuals in the past five years to go to trial on charges under the act. On Friday, the other one, Connecticut businessman Frederic Bourke, was found guilty by a New York City jury.

William Jefferson corruption trial shifts to other 'schemes'by Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune Friday July 10, 2009, 7:12 AM ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- After more than three weeks of testimony about William Jefferson's efforts to bring telecommunications projects to western Africa in return for what prosecutors labeled bribes, the jury Thursday heard about several of the other 11 alleged schemes in the corruption indictment against the nine-term former congressman. The trial, which began on June 9 with jury selection, finally appears to be moving closer to completion. Lead prosecutor Mark Lytle said he hopes to finish the government's case on July 17...

ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- The lead FBI agent in the investigation of former Rep. William Jefferson denied Wednesday that he had instructed cooperating witness Lori Mody to play on Jefferson's emotions, get him drunk, and lure him into taking a bigger share of her company. "That's not on her, that's on him, " special agent Timothy Thibault said, explaining that Jefferson continued to escalate his demands for a piece of Mody's business even when he wasn't under the influence of her wiles and wine. In its redirect, the prosecution played a videotape from the four-hour, $1,023 dinner Mody and Jefferson shared...

Ex-congressman filmed accepting $100,000Published: 07/08/2009 By Matthew Barakat Associated Press ALEXANDRIA, Va. - From four different angles, jurors saw a former Louisiana congressman accept a suitcase filled with $100,000 on videos played in court Tuesday. **SNIP** The recordings played in U.S. District Court show Lori Mody, a northern Virginia businesswoman who cooperated with an FBI investigation, leading Jefferson to the trunk of a car parked outside the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Pentagon City. Jefferson reaches in, grabs the suitcase and puts it in a small duffel bag. The FBI recorded the handoff from five different angles, and four of those were...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A federal jury has seen video of a former Louisiana congressman accepting a suitcase filled with $100,000 in cash outside a northern Virginia hotel.

Judge impatient with pace in trial of former Rep. William Jeffersonby Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune Monday June 22, 2009, 12:13 PM ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- The judge expressed some impatience this morning with the pace of the public corruption trial of former Rep. William Jefferson. **SNIP** Trout said the personal service agreement would show why Mody was unhappy with Jackson and Pfeffer, who also has pleaded guilty to paying bribes to Jefferson. He said it was significant that Mody initially made no allegations about Jefferson. Ellis appeared to disagree. "So what?" the judge said after the jury had been dismissed for...

The first week of former Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) corruption trial was dominated by testimony from the head of a telecommunications firm who said he paid thousands of dollars to the lawmaker for his influence. Kentucky businessman Vernon Jackson said Jefferson used his office to secure multimillion-dollar deals for the telecommunications firm iGate, and enriched himself in the process. Jackson is a star witness for the prosecution, which claims Jefferson used his office to help iGate in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. Jefferson faces a maximum of 235 years in prison if convicted on all counts....

The attorney for William J. Jefferson tackled the "elephant in the room" in opening statements Tuesday, explaining the notorious $90,000 "cold cash" discovered in the former congressman's freezer as an FBI setup bid. Prosecutors, for their part, painted a portrait of a debt-ridden man selling out the public good. In his opening speech in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Jefferson attorney Robert Trout addressed the best-known detail in the case - the marked bills found by federal agents in Mr. Jefferson's freezer wrapped inside Pillsbury Pie Crust boxes. He described the money as the trial's "elephant in the room." He...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Opening statements are scheduled in the trial of a former Louisiana congressman charged with bribery after federal agents found $90,000 in cash in his freezer. The case is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria, Va. William Jefferson is accused of soliciting bribes, racketeering, money laundering and other crimes. Jefferson represented parts of New Orleans until losing re-election last year. Prosecutors say he received more than $500,000 and sought millions more for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa.

Key witness will not testify against former Rep. William Jeffersonby Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune Wednesday June 10, 2009, 5:26 PM ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- Lori Mody, the Virginia businesswoman who was expected to be the government's star witness in the federal corruption trial of former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, will not be called to testify for the prosecution, lawyers said today. The judge was informed of the government's decision during a bench conference this morning that was not immediately made public. "We do not intend to call Lori Mody in our case in chief," lead prosecutor Mark Lytle said without...

Money Stashed in Freezer Is Key in Jefferson TrialBy Allison Klein Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, June 7, 2009 The bribery and fraud case of former U.S. representative William J. Jefferson involves business ventures in seven West African nations, 16 criminal counts and a high-stakes legal battle over the raid of his Washington office. But when the trial begins Tuesday in Alexandria federal court, the case will be summed up to jurors with this key question: "Do you know the case of the congressman with the money in the freezer?" After nine terms in office, the Louisiana Democrat is most...

Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson faces several obstacles to being acquitted of bribery, racketeering and other federal charges — and topping the list is explaining the $90,000 cash stashed in his freezer. Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat who represented parts of New Orleans until losing his bid for re-election last year, goes on trial Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on allegations that he received more than $400,000 in bribes in return for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa. Defense attorneys are expected to attack the credibility of a witness who frequently wore a wire for...

Ex-congressman's brother tasted political victory behind the scenesby Gordon Russell, The Times-Picayune Saturday May 30, 2009, 10:56 PM At first glance, Mose Jefferson embodies an archetype of American politics: the man who makes a living, and a life, by attaching himself like a parasite to a famous and powerful relative fortunate enough to win office. The truth is more complicated. While his once-formidable stroke was derived from the political success of his younger brother, former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, the reverse was true as well. For it was Mose Jefferson, 66, who cut his teeth on politics first, learning the...

Two senior House staffers have received subpoenas for testimony in the corruption trial against former Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.). Roberta Hopkins, deputy chief of staff to Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), and Angelle Kwemo, an attorney for Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), notified the House of the subpoenas before the Memorial Day recess. Hopkins and Kwemo had served as Jefferson’s acting chief of staff and legislative director, respectively, as late as December 2008. The Department of Justice called Kwemo as a witness; it is unclear whether Hopkins will be testifying for or against Jefferson. “Our office was aware of the subpoena and...

Prosecutors get favorable ruling in William Jefferson caseby Bruce Alpert The Times-Picayune Tuesday May 26, 2009, 4:58 PM WASHINGTON -- Federal prosecutors will not be required as part of their bribery case against former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, to prove he sought payments in return for decisions he made as a member of Congress, a judge ruled Tuesday. Judge T.S. Ellis III said "it is sufficient for the government to adduce proof, including expert testimony or evidence of defendant's admissions and conduct, that it was customary for members of Congress in defendant's position to exert influence -- by advice,...

Former Rep. William Jefferson has earmarks in spending billby Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune February 26, 2009, 5:21 PM WASHINGTON -- He is no longer a member of Congress, but former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, is still delivering the bacon. Nearly $6 million for seven Louisiana projects sponsored or co-sponsored by Jefferson are included in a $410 billion spending bill approved by the House this week and now awaiting final legislative approval in the Senate. The spending covers the final seven months of the 2009 fiscal year for nine federal agencies. Largely put together last year, but not enacted because...

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...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, will face trial May 26 on federal corruption charges that he sought bribes in exchange for his help with business deals in Africa.

Prosecutors to court: Get on with Jefferson trialThe Associated Press Sun, Dec 28, 2008 (12:03 a.m.) Federal prosecutors are urging an appeals court to get on with Rep. William Jefferson's corruption trial, saying his appeal to the Supreme Court does not have enough chance of success to justify further delays. Jefferson. D-La., was indicted on bribery charges after agents found $90,000 in his freezer. He has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers argue that his trial should be delayed pending his appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Jefferson argues that the charges are invalid because a grand jury got access...

November’s elections proved a second-straight disaster for Republicans, but December has given them some room for optimism regarding 2010. In the aftermath of a week in which the GOP went 3-for-3 in contested races and inexplicably stole a seat from the majority party, Republicans are wrestling with the larger significance of the three wins, though some are hesitant to overemphasize. Democrats, meanwhile, are seeking to distance their fortunes from President-elect Obama and reinforce that they won in November thanks to the strength of their candidates and machinery and not simply the Obama effect. In Georgia, a three-point Election Day edge...

The Jesuits Produce A Great Political Candidate by Deal W. Hudson 11/19/08 Joseph Cao is a Catholic lawyer and former Jesuit scholastic from New Orleans. He is running as a Republican for the Congressional 2nd district seat in Louisiana presently held by Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA), who is best known for the $90,000 found in his freezer. The election will be held December 6. Few candidates for public office are as forthright as Cao when asked about their position on abortion. “I am very anti-abortion,” he told me without hesitation. Cao would like to overturn Roe, but in the meantime,...

LA-2 , Orleans, Jefferson Parish: In a huge upset win, little known Republican attorney Anh "Joseph" Cao beat nine term and criminally indicted William Jefferson(D). Jefferson had been expected to easily win. Cao becomes the first Vietnamese member of U.S. Congress. LA-4, Shreveport-Bossier City, Sabine Parish, et. al., Western LA, TX/AR border: Republican Dr. John Fleming wins. Fleming was trailing by about 3% early in the election results but came on strong in the end to beat Carmouche(D) by 356 votes. Carmouche has not conceded election – recount probably pending. With these results, the 111th U.S. House of Representatives...

NEW ORLEANS -- Voters in Louisiana ousted indicted Democratic Rep. William Jefferson on Saturday, instead electing a Republican attorney who will be the first Vietnamese-American in Congress. Unofficial results showed Anh "Joseph" Cao denying Jefferson a 10th term. Republicans made an aggressive push to take the seat from the 61-year-old incumbent, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, laundering money and misusing his congressional office. Cao, 41, won a predominantly black and heavily Democratic district that covers most of New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS -- Voters in Louisiana sent two Republicans to Congress Saturday, ousting indicted Democratic U.S. Rep. William Jefferson in one race and narrowly keeping a seat vacated by a retiring incumbent in the other. In the 2nd Congressional District, which includes most of New Orleans, Republican attorney Anh "Joseph" Cao won 50% of the vote to Rep. Jefferson's 47% and will become the first Vietnamese-American in Congress. His only previous political experience was an unsuccessful 2007 bid for a seat in the state legislature.

Continuing our What-the-MSM-would-have-reported-had-the-parties-been-reversed Series: Had McCain won, and had Jefferson been a Republican, the MSM this morning would be talking about another blow to the new president, losing a Senior Congressional ally. This Jefferson loss, along with the Saxby Chambliss win, would be just another example of the president’s shrinking coattails. What does this say about the new president’s party’s commitment to diversity, when the other party is the first to elect a Vietnamese-American to Congress? Does the president’s party need to be more sensitive to the issues of minorities and reach out more to the Vietnamese-American community so they...

Cao wins!

Unofficial results showed Republican attorney Anh "Joseph" Cao denying Jefferson a 10th term. Republicans made an aggressive push to get rid of the 61-year-old incumbent, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, laundering money and misusing his congressional office. Cao won a predominantly black and heavily Democratic district that covers most of New Orleans. He will become the first Vietnamese-American in Congress. He came to the U.S. as a child after the fall of Saigon in 1975. He went on to earn degrees in philosophy, physics and law.

In a shocker, there will be a GOP Rep. in New Orleans. In a surprising twist, GOPers won a sweep in LA tonight in two general elections, picking up embattled Rep. Bill Jefferson's (D-LA 02) seat in New Orleans, and holding retiring Rep. Jim McCrery's (R) seat in the Shreveport-based Fourth District. But the surprise of the night, and possibly the cycle, was in the Big Easy. Atty Ahn “Joseph” Cao (R) defeated Jefferson 50-47%. Dems outnumber GOPers here 6-1, and African Americans make up 61% of the vote. But the NRCC must've had an inkling that something was up...

Political newcomer Anh "Joseph" Cao, a Republican, holds an early lead over nine-term incumbent William Jefferson, a Democrat, in the 2nd Congressional District. With 139 of 492 precincts reporting around 9:15 p.m., Cao, a Venetian Isles attorney who has enjoyed strong backing from local and national GOP organizations, is leading 58 percent to 39 percent over Jefferson. Green Party candidate Malik Rahim has 2 percent, while Libertarian Gregory Kahn is trailing with 1 percent. The district, which was drawn to give African Americans an electoral advantage, covers most of New Orleans, most of Jefferson Parish's West Bank and parts of...

Two days before embattled Congressman William Jefferson faces the final electoral hurdle in his quest for a 10th term, more than a dozen local African-American pastors gathered at a Central City eatery to urge all citizens, black voters in particular, to be sure to head to the polls for Saturday's general election.

On paper, Anh "Joseph" Cao has an ideal life story for a political candidate. Born in war-ravaged Vietnam, Cao fled to the United States when he was 8, learned English, earned degrees in physics and philosophy, and joined the Catholic seminary. When his views on how best to serve the poor changed, Cao went to law school, began a practice specializing in immigration, settled in Venetian Isles and started a family. In his bid to unseat Rep. William Jefferson in the 2nd Congressional District, however, Cao must try to overcome three tall hurdles: He's not a Democrat, he's not black...

Jefferson asks to extend disaster food stamps for Orleans06:35 PM CST on Thursday, November 13, 2008 Kristen Soroe / Eyewitness News A day after Louisiana's request for a second month of disaster food stamps for 13 parishes was denied, Congressman William Jefferson calls for an extension of eligibility for Orleans Parish. Jefferson sent a letter to the USDA requesting it to reverse its decision and give Orleans resident an additional month of food stamps benefits. The state asked for the extra benefits for residents in Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Jefferson Davis, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Sabine, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa...

Richmond, Va. (AP) -- A federal appeals court upheld bribery and other charges against Louisiana Democratic U.S. Rep. William Jefferson on Wednesday, clearing the way for a trial. Jefferson, who cruised to victory in a primary last week and is expected to easily win re-election, had sought to dismiss a 16-count indictment charging him with taking bribes, laundering money and misusing his congressional office for business dealings in Africa. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Jefferson's claims that a federal grand jury received evidence that violated his constitutional right to legislative immunity.

More than two dozen influential African-American pastors stood shoulder to shoulder Monday morning with embattled U.S. Rep. William Jefferson and pledged their support for the congressman's campaign to win a 10th term as he continues to face a federal indictment on charges of bribery and corruption.Read the rest here.

There was a strange mixture of stalwart support and utter abandonment at U.S. Rep. William Jefferson's election party Saturday night as the indicted congressman claimed a primary victory in his 10th election campaign for the 2nd District seat. The party was at Flavorz by Mattie, a little-known restaurant in an eastern New Orleans neighborhood ravaged by the post-Katrina jack-o'-lantern effect. The room was half empty, with only about 35 supporters and family cheering on Jefferson and eating a late dinner of jambalaya and croissant sandwiches. There were no big political names in the crowd. Supporters appeared to be outnumbered by...

NEW ORLEANS – A 28-year political career was on the line Saturday for indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, who is fighting bribery charges as he tries to fend off six Democrats in the primary for his New Orleans-based congressional seat. No one was expecting Jefferson or any of the other six candidates to garner the majority needed to win the nomination outright. Jefferson, seeking his 10th term, hoped to survive by taking either first or second place and moving on to a Nov. 4 runoff. A victory then would put him in a Dec. 6 general election in the heavily...