Free Republic

Brett Pfeffer, a former legislative assistant to U. S. Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana, was sentenced May 27 by a judge in Alexandria to eight years in prison for conspiring to bribe the embattled Louisiana Democrat. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III told Pfeffer that his sentence could be reduced significantly for cooperation with investigators. But, “it would be difficult to overstate the seriousness of this offense,” Ellis said at Pfeffer’s hearing. In January, Pfeffer, 37, pleaded guilty in Federal Court in Alexandria to conspiracy to commit bribery and aiding and abetting the solicitation of bribes by a member of...

MIAMI - A list of almost 400 children labeled "missing" under the state's care was exaggerated as many of the children have either been found, were chronic teenage runaways or ran from foster homes, a study by a statewide task force said. In a statewide search of the children listed as missing in August by the Department of Children & Families, 139 out of 393 of the children have been located, the study said. The task force is still looking for 242 remaining names on the "missing" list, many of whom investigators believe are considered chronic runaways or taken by...