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Ex-Congressman Caught With $90K in Freezer Is Guilty

By the Associated Press

Posted Aug 5, 2009 5:31 PM CDT

(AP) – A federal jury convicted a former Louisiana congressman today of taking bribes on 11 of 16 counts in a case in which agents found $90,000 in his freezer. Former Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat who had represented parts of New Orleans, was accused of accepting more than $400,000 in bribes and seeking millions more in exchange for brokering business deals in Africa. He was convicted of charges including bribery, racketeering, and money laundering.

Prosecutor Mark Lytle said Jefferson could face more than 20 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. He wanted the 62-year-old detained after the verdict, saying his ties to Africa made him a flight risk. However, Judge T.S. Ellis III allowed Jefferson to remain free on bond because of his local ties. The defense argued that Jefferson was acting as a private business consultant in brokering the deals and that his actions did not constitute bribery under federal law.

Former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson walks to federal court in Alexandria, Va.,, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009.
Former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson walks to federal court in Alexandria, Va.,, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009.   (Kevin Wolf)
Former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson and his wife Andrea leave federal court in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009.
Former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson and his wife Andrea leave federal court in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009.   (Kevin Wolf)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 27 comments
Fiskebolle
Aug 7, 2009 12:56 PM CDT
And now those same posts suddenly have a lot of pluses, too.. Your amount of sock puppets is impressive, Sabrina. Or Amber. Whichever.
Fiskebolle
Aug 7, 2009 12:53 PM CDT
I always had a nagging feeling a lot of Newser commentary was really fewer people than it would appear..the above confirms it. Both accounts are given a female first name, with proper capitalization, but they make the same spelling and your/you're errors and also post right after one another with the same opinion and general statement. Pathetic. Anyone paying you for this, btw? That would be the cherry on top of it.
MrsK
Aug 6, 2009 12:47 PM CDT
A flight risk to Africa? Let him go there and stay!! What a loser.

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

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