By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
June 4, 2007
WASHINGTON - Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., was indicted Monday
on federal charges of racketeering, soliciting bribes and
money-laundering in a long-running bribery investigation
into business deals he tried to broker in Africa.
The indictment handed up in federal court in Alexandria.,
Va., Monday is 94 pages long and lists 16 alleged violations
of federal law that could keep Jefferson in prison for up to
235 years. He is charged with racketeering, soliciting bribes,
wire fraud, money-laundering, obstruction of justice, conspiracy
and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Jefferson is accused of soliciting bribes for himself and
his family, and also for bribing a Nigerian official.
Almost two years ago, in August 2005, investigators raided
Jefferson's home in Louisiana and found $90,000 in cash stuffed
into a box in his freezer.
Jefferson, 63, whose Louisiana district includes New Orleans,
has said little about the case publicly but has maintained
his innocence. He was re-elected last year despite the looming
investigation.
Jefferson, in Louisiana on Monday, could not immediately be
reached for comment.
Two of Jefferson's associates have already struck plea bargains
with prosecutors and have been sentenced.
Brett Pfeffer, a former congressional aide, admitted soliciting
bribes on Jefferson's behalf and was sentenced to eight years
in prison.
Another Jefferson associate, Louisville, Ky., telecommunications
executive Vernon Jackson, pleaded guilty to paying between
$400,000 and $1 million in bribes to Jefferson in exchange
for his assistance securing business deals in Nigeria and other
African nations. Jackson was sentenced to more than seven years
in prison.
Both Pfeffer and Jackson agreed to cooperate in the case against
Jefferson in exchanges for their pleas.
The impact of the case has stretched across continents and
even roiled presidential politics in Nigeria. According to
court records, Jefferson told associates that he needed cash
to pay bribes to the country's vice president, Atiku Abubakar.
Abubakar denied the allegations, which figured prominently
in that country's presidential elections in April. Abubakar
ran for the presidency and finished third.
The indictment does not name Abubakar. But it describes Jefferson's
dealings with an unnamed "Nigerian Official A" who
was a high-ranking official in Nigeria's executive branch who
had a spouse in Potomac, Md. One of Abubakar's wives lived
in that Washington suburb.
Court records indicate that Jefferson was videotape taking
a $100,000 cash bribe from an FBI informant. Most of that money
later turned up in a freezer in Jefferson's home.
In May 2006, the FBI raided Jefferson's congressional office,
the first such raid on a sitting congressman's Capitol office.
That move sparked a constitutional debate over whether the
executive branch stepped over its boundary.
The legality of the raid is still being argued on appeal.
House leaders objected to the search saying it was an unconstitutional
intrusion on the lawmaking process. The FBI said the raid was
necessary because Jefferson and his legal team had failed to
respond to requests for documents.
Some but not all the documents seized in the raid have been
turned over Justice Department prosecutors.
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Associated Press writer Cain Burdeau in New Orleans contributed
to this report.
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