Former Dem Congressman William "Cold Cash" Jefferson Sentenced To Twenty Years For Bribery, Racketeering, And Money Laundering

The AP reports that the former Democrat "Louisiana congressman accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes was convicted in federal court Wednesday in a case in which agents famously found $90,000 stashed in his freezer. William Jefferson, a Democrat who had represented parts of New Orleans for almost 20 years, was stoic as the verdict was read and had little to say afterward... Prosecutors contended Jefferson accepted more than $400,000 in bribes and sought millions more in exchange for brokering business deals in Africa. After a two-month trial, jurors took five days to convict him on 11 of 16 counts that also included racketeering and money laundering. He was acquitted on the other five. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lytle said Jefferson could face more than 20 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. Jefferson had been under investigation since March 2005. In August that year, FBI agents searched his Washington home and found the cash in his freezer, wrapped in foil and hidden in boxes of frozen pie crust. Prosecutors said he had planned to use the money to pay a bribe to the then-vice president of Nigeria to secure a multimillion dollar telecommunications deal there, an accusation Jefferson denied."
Tweet