SubscribeFeds Finally Indict William “Freezer” Jefferson
From a shocked and outraged Washington Post:
Indictment Sought Against Rep. Jefferson
FBI Probes Allegations Lawmaker Took Bribes to Promote Business Ventures
By Jerry Markon and Allan Lengel
Monday, June 4, 2007Federal prosecutors are seeking an indictment today against Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) in a longstanding FBI corruption probe centering on allegations that he took bribes to promote high-tech business ventures in Africa, sources familiar with the investigation said.
Prosecutors are presenting the case to grand jurors in Alexandria today, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because no charges have yet been filed.
If filed, the indictment would cap a long and tumultuous investigation that was stalled for months because of a legal battle over the constitutionality of an FBI raid on Jefferson’s office last May. The raid came after the FBI found $90,000 in the freezer of his Capitol Hill home.
A political and legal maelstrom followed the raid, prompting President Bush to intervene and seal the seized documents for 45 days. In July, U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan, who had signed the search warrant, ruled that the raid was constitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals has yet to rule on the matter.
Jefferson, 60, is a potential political embarrassment for Democrats, just months after they took over control of Congress. Democrats had campaigned last year on the theme that Republicans had created a culture of corruption…
Gee, what took them so long?
Update!
From Fox News:
Congressman Jefferson Indicted on Bribery Charges
Monday, June 04, 2007
WASHINGTON — Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., was indicted Monday on 16 counts related to a long-running bribery investigation on charges including bribery, racketeering, obstruction of justice and money laundering.
The indictment was handed up in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va. A press conference is scheduled for later Monday in Washington to discuss the case.
The 94-page indictment is more than an inch thick, and Jefferson could face a prison term of 235 years if he was convicted on all charges, and given the maximum sentence — although that is unlikely.
Jefferson’s high-profile case included allegations of finding $90,000 in cash in his freezer in 2005 and bribery of Nigerian officials, and an FBI raid on his Capitol Hill office last year that became a constitutional showdown between Congress and the White House. Also, two of Jefferson’s top aides already have pleaded guilty and been sentenced in the case and agreed to work with investigators.
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, although members of his staff in Washington said the congressman has not ruled out making a statement today…
Time for the New York Times to crank up their "poor" Mr. Jefferson sob stories again.
Related Articles:
- Why No Investigations For Reid And Feinstein?
- William "Freezer" Jefferson Is Re-Elected
- Bob Ney (R) Resigns, Jefferson (D) Still Hasn't
- The Nation: Jefferson A Republican At Heart
- NYT Sobs Over Jefferson's Poor Childhood
- Top 3 At DOJ Almost Quit Over Jefferson Docs
- Jefferson (D) Caught With $100K In Freezer
26 Responses to “Feds Finally Indict William “Freezer” Jefferson”
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June 4th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Damn Bush, will he stop at nothing to keep a black brother from NO down?
Yeah they have tapes of him agreeing to the bribe, tapes of him accepting the bribe, tapes of him putting the money in the trunk of his car, found most of the money in a freezer at his home plus other evidence, but so what?
He is black and a liberal democrat, so he is automatically innocent, Right?
June 4th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
WASHINGTON — Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., was indicted Monday on 16 counts related to a long-running bribery investigation on counts including racketeering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy.
The indictment was handed up in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. A press conference is scheduled for for later Monday in Washington to discuss the case.
The 96-page indictment is more than an inch thick, and Jefferson could face a maximum indictment of more than 230 years.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,277774,00.html
June 4th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
It’s about damn friggin’ time…!! The DNC attorney’s have dragged this crappola out long enough.
Jefferson was caught red handed, on video, on audio, by testimony from witnesses and he had the “cold cash” bribe in his “safe”, so to speak.
What escapes me is why the FBI and DOJ waited this long? Were they trying to save face on the remote chance that some asshat liberal judge would toss some of the evidence?
Meanwhile, this obviously corrupt politician has soldiered on with his nefarious agenda in Congress with the nodding approval of Queen Piglosi. Where’s the outrage from the MSM..??
Once this asshat is indicted, will he step down voluntarily? Don’t bet on it..!!
Will Piglosi ask him to step down, well, at least from his committee assignments? Yeah right, when pigs fly..!!!
To quote Dean Wormer, “I really hate those guys”…;o)
June 4th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
All the MSM will start referring to him as “Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson,” instead of “Congressman William Jefferson (D-LA).
June 4th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Nancy Pelosi has NOT called for him to step down.
She only said he was misunderstood and being racially profiled by a bigoted vast right wing conspiracy.
Democrats promised to take washington in a new direction. Evidently, that was a deception to win elections….not to stop democrats from profiting from graft and bribery.
Cunningham is in jail. For a hell of a lot less. Jefferson will never see a jail cell. He will never leave his job either. He is, dont forget, a vaunted DEMOCRAT! Somehow, they just dont think jefferson has a problem. Somehow, I am not surprised.
S&L knew all of this years ago. I wonder what forced the media to finally admit that a lying thief grifting cheat was caught red handed taking money…….oh, yeah. They couldnt zero in on just one democrat…..business as usual in pelosi’s serfdom.
June 4th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Piglosi is quoted as saying “These charges must be taken very seriously, but he must be considered innocent until proven guilty”. His lawyer is quoted as saying “The FBI saw an opportunity to take down a Congressman. They like that.” Murtha was never brought up on charges in Abscam because it was swept under the rug.
Too bad piglosi and murtha don’t give the same consideration to our Warriors when they are accused of killing the enemy in combat. Last time I checked….that’s what they are supposed to do. I fear we are losing the country with politicians like this. And the dhimmi’s don’t have a patent on it either.
June 4th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
The racist FBI is picking on one of the brothers again.
June 4th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
It is about time! I’d kind of assumed that Jefferson had already got the free DemonRat pass. Yeah, you always know it’s a Rat when Republican isn’t mentioned in the title.
June 4th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
[...] Sweetness & Light has a thread on it [...]
June 4th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Cold Cash is just the tip of the iceburg.
He is as we speak spilling his guts in hopes of getting a lighter sentence.
Wonder just how many fellow democrats he will take down with him?
Or is it Marcy Park for him?
June 4th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Suicide? Maybe he’s depressed. Never had that much cash, so I don’t know what would happen.
If anything serious comes out, they may toss him in the can to keep heat off the others.
If not, sj is right. Never gonna serve time. May even get to keep the money. Will certainly get reelected.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Lest we forget, ‘the freezer’ also commandeered a National Guard vehicle right after Katrina to get some valuables (evidence) from his house. The truck then got stuck in the mud after it pulled up to the door so he wouldn’t get his feet wet.
Just another Democrat leader exhibiting the classy behavior we have come to expect.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
I understand the point being made, SJ, but Cunningham isn’t a very good comparison. He sold out for $2.4 mil. Jefferson got anywhere from one-fifth to one-half that amount. Of course Duke is in the clink - and so should Jefferson be. Cunningham is a genuine hero, and that might partially mitigate his misdeeds, but the man should have known better. Jefferson is just a lowlife thieving bum that was doing what comes naturally to most democrats.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
I know all you good little conservatives are excited over the news that William (Cold Cash) Jefferson has FINALLY been indicted, but I have to rain on your parade. It is too little too late. He should have been indicted BEFORE the election and the Republicans, doing what they do best which is allowing prime opportunities slip through their fingers, should have played on the Jefferson Cash Cow while Reid and Piglosi were screaming about draining the swamp. Instead, they allowed the MSM to eliminate the (D) behind Jefferson’s name when it first broke in the news and they didn’t play on the “they are no better than us” schtick like they should have. So people just never equated that the Dhimmicrats are just as corrupt as any Republican could ever dream of being.
Do I think Jefferson should fry? Yep. But expect to hear a lot of swamp gas emitting from the left side of the aisle as they do the bayou shuffle to try to cover their collective asses on this deal.
I just hope that the feds have Jefferson by the short hair so hard that he starts hooting like a swamp owl and gives up his “friends” in the Senate because if any of you think that a smart Louisiana pol like Jefferson, who cut his teeth on Huey Long politics, put his career on the line for a measly $100K, think again. When the bodies start floating to the top, he is going to make Cunningham look like a Canal Street hustler.
June 5th, 2007 at 2:27 am
Obvious racism; what else coult it be?
June 5th, 2007 at 8:51 am
He’s a black liberal Democrat congressman. He won’t see a day behind bars.
June 5th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Sadly I have to agree with you all - too little, too late and probably no jail time. Meanwhile the DNC will chug along continuing to make it criminal to be conservative, Republican and Christian.
I hang my head in fear that it will become a real Good vs Evil to the death before anyone wakes up that
Holding a belief in God is not racist, bigotted, meanspirtied or petty
Believing in the values of Right and Wrong is not intolerant, racist, meanspirited or hypocrital
Valuing Personal Responsiblity and Work is not greedy, intolerant, or hateful.
They are simply the Right thing to do.
God Help America because it is going to Hell in a DNC election fraud, pork laden, limo.
June 5th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
I think Good threw in the towel a long time ago.
The real battle is between Evil and Stupidity.
Evil is better organized, Stupidity has a proponderance of numbers.
Barnum would bet on the latter.
Beam me up.
June 5th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
*** Update *** Jefferson’s office just issued this statement that he will temporarily step down from the committee, but the office stressed that the decision “is in no way an admission of guilt.”
“In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.), Congressman William J. Jefferson (D-La.) said he will take a temporary leave from his position on the U.S. House Small Business Committee until recent legal developments are successfully resolved. Congressman Jefferson emphasized that his request to temporarily vacate his committee seat is in no way an admission of guilt to charges filed against him yesterday. ”
“In addition, Jefferson said, ‘I have supported every ethics and lobbying reform measure that you and our Democratic Majority have authored, and I make this request for leave to support the letter and the spirit of your leadership in this area.’ Congressman Jefferson believes that he will be cleared of these charges and will later be able to resume his service on this committee.”
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com.....14070.aspx
What a crock of s…..
June 5th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
And Scooter got 2 1/2 years because he couldn’t remember details of a meeting amongst the thousands of meetings he attended.
Cast my vote for Jefferson getting away with it. Not only is he a black, liberal Democrat but as mentioned he is a Katrina survivor (yeah right…where is he living now? stuffed away in some other state depending on welfare and relatives? NOT).
June 5th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
“with liberty and JUSTICE for all” …… lets hope.
June 5th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Boehner’s facts about says it all:
June 6th, 2007 at 12:00 am
The 26 MOST corrupt members of the US House of Representatives:
Bishop (GA), Brown, Corrine, Butterfield, Clarke, Clay, Clyburn, Davis (IL), Doolittle, Ellison, Filner, Gutierrez, Honda, Johnson E B, Kilpatrick, LaTourette, Lee, McDermott, Nadler, Rohrabacher, Rush, Schakowsky, Stark, Stupak, Thompson (MS), Whitfield, Young (AK)
Yep the 26 who voted NAY Jefferson should NOT be investigated.
—
And the 13 COWARDLY corrupt members of the US House of Representatives:
Barrett (SC), Bonner, Delahunt, Doyle, Engel, Green Gene, Hastings (WA), Jackson-Lee (TX), Jones (OH), Kline (MN), McCaul (TX), Roybal-Allard, Waters
Yep the 13 who voted PRESENT which is the same as a NAY but NO GUTS to have their vote recorded.
—
And the 1 whose courage is even below cowardice:
Murtha who VOTED EVERY ROLL CALL on June 5 EXCEPT 430 AND 429
Yep of the 20 NOT Voting most of these guys like Paul (yuk), Hunter and Tancredo were out of town, except for that slime ball Murtha.
—
from the motion: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll430.xml#Y
the motion to reconsider: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll429.xml had very few changes.
June 6th, 2007 at 10:37 am
As Mathew has pointed out, Piglosi has been doing her part to keep the Jefferson scandal under wraps since she took over in January.
Will the MSM report on that fact or even remotely allude to her failure to appoint possible committee members when she should have? Not likely my friends.
Apparently, her highness believes that ethics investigations are a moot issue up to this point, being that “hers” is the most “ethical” Congress ever.
Well, other than Representatives Harman, Jefferson, Lewis, Miller, Mollohan, Renzi, Murtha, Waters, Conyers, Hastings and Piglosi herself. Hell, …no ethics questions there, …right? …;o)
June 6th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Just read that Jefferson’s congerssional office is open for ‘business as usual’.
Looking for more bribes to cover his legal expenses?
June 6th, 2007 at 11:22 am
there was a “democrat strategist” on Fox that said Jefferson was not on ANY committee….a blatant lie. Pelosi has yet to call for his execution..er …I mean resignation.