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William Jefferson Archives
Indicted: William Jefferson
by Matt Margolis :: June 5, 2007 10:20 PM
The charges include racketeering, solicitation of bribes, honest services wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, violating the foreign corrupt practices act, and conspiracy. The indictment relates to an alleged bribery scheme for him and his family and his alleged bribery of a Nigerian official.Will Howard Dean say that Jefferson should go to Louisiana to serve his jail sentence? Will Pelosi demand his resignation from Congress? Will Rahm Emanuel tell his fellow Democrats to return any money they received from Jefferson? Will the Democratic Party finally admit that the culture of corruption is deep in their own party?The indictment is 94 pages. If convicted on all charges Jefferson would be sentenced to 235 years in prison.
Jefferson has been under investigation for some time for accepting bribes in relation to help steer contracts to businesses in Nigeria.
The Jefferson scandal is not only a stark reminder of the corruption that is rampant in the Democratic Party, but also of the Democrats' hypocrisy. After Tom DeLay was indicted on September 28, 2005, Nancy Pelosi had some very harsh words:
“The criminal indictment of Majority Leader Tom DeLay is the latest example that Republicans in Congress are plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of the American people.”But, if you forward to yesterday, she's got a very different tone about the indictment of Rep. William Jefferson, of her own party:
“The charges in the indictment against Congressman Jefferson are extremely serious. While Mr. Jefferson, just as any other citizen, must be considered innocent until proven guilty, if these charges are proven true, they constitute an egregious and unacceptable abuse of public trust and power.So, Democrats are given the benefit of the doubt--they are considered innocent until proven guilty--while Republicans like Tom DeLay, who was the victim of a politically motivated indictment, are immediately part of a "culture of corruption."
In an uncommon move for a Democrat, William Jefferson did step down from the House Small Business Committee, but no one can claim that the Democrats' response to Jefferson's indictment is proof of superior ethical standards:
The facts speak for themselves:
- Jefferson has been under investigation since March of 2005.
- Despite mounds of evidence against, including being implicated by a former staffer, Democrats turned a blind eye to his troubles.
- Democrats only booted him off the Ways and Means Committee after it was revealed that there was videotape evidence of him accepting a bribe.
- Jefferson was reelected last November despite the scandal.
- Jefferson received a standing ovation from the Congressional Black Caucus despite the scandal.
- Nancy Pelosi nearly placed Jefferson on the House Homeland Security Committee despite the scandal.
As justice is allow to take its course, this is a real moment of opportunity for the Democrats to start practicing what they preach. Will all the Democrats who received contributions from Jefferson return thee dirty money? Considering former DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel refused to get rid of money donated to the DCCC by convicted felons, his fellow Democrats don't have much of a standard to follow... So, don't expect Democrats to start parting with the dirty money they received from William Jefferson.
UPDATE: The indictment.
UPDATE: The follow members of Congress voted against H.Res.451, which "Direct[s] the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to respond to the indictment of, or the filing of charges of criminal conduct in a court of the United States or any State against, any Member of the House of Representatives by empaneling an investigative subcommittee to review the allegations not later than 30 days after the date the Member is indicted or the charges are filed.: Clay (D), Conyers (D), Filner (D), McDermott (D), Nadler (D), Stark (D), Doolittle (R), LaTourette (R), Whitfield (R), Young (R).
The following members of Congress voted against H.Res.452, which calls for "the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is directed to investigate without further delay alleged illegal conduct and violations of House rules by Representative William J. Jefferson and report its findings and recommendations to the House, including a recommendation regarding whether Representative Jefferson should be expelled from the House.": Bishop (D), Brown, Corrine (D), Butterfield (D), Clarke (D), Clay (D), Clyburn (D), Davis (IL) (D), Ellison (D), Filner (D), Gutierrez (D), Honda (D)
Johnson, E. B. (D), Kilpatrick (D), Lee (D), McDermott (D), Nadler (D), Rush (D), Schakowsky (D), Stark (D), Stupak (D), Thompson (MS) (D), Doolittle (R), LaTourette (R), Rohrabacher (R), Whitfield (R), Young (R) .
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Rep. William Jefferson Sued
by Matt Margolis :: February 15, 2007 10:16 AM
Will the Congressional Black Congress give another standing ovation for Jefferson?
A former stockholder in a technology company sued a congressman and a former business associate yesterday, claiming they bilked stockholders by using business funds to pay bribes.The lawsuit alleges that U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., his wife, and Vernon Jackson, former chief executive of the telecommunications firm iGate, schemed to funnel money to Jefferson, his family and foreign officials.
The allegations mirror those in an ongoing federal investigation of Jefferson and his business dealings. Jefferson has not been charged, but the FBI has said in court records that agents found $90,000 in a freezer in his New Orleans home.
As part of that investigation, Jackson, 54, of Louisville, pleaded guilty to paying more than $400,000 in bribes to Jefferson to gain the congressman's help in obtaining business deals in Africa. Jackson was sentenced to seven years in federal prison and is scheduled to report to prison in March.
Daniel C. Cadle of Newton Falls, Ohio, an iGate stockholder, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Louisville. Cadle is seeking unspecified damages on behalf of all iGate stockholders.
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Person Loan To Jefferson Being Investigated?
by Matt Margolis :: June 15, 2006 8:37 PM
Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, who is at the center of a federal criminal bribery probe, received a personal loan from a satellite radio executive who has had business before the federal government, financial records released Wednesday show.In a press release following this report, Worldspace clarified that the loan was a personal loan from Mr. Samara to Rep. Jefferson, and claims it was not related to company business.Noah Samara, CEO of WorldSpace Inc., loaned Jefferson between $50,001 and $100,000, according to Jefferson's financial disclosure form for 2005. The date of the loan is not given, but Samara's company was pressing the Federal Communications Commission to let it launch a new satellite last year.
Samara's company, which delivers satellite radio in poor countries, has not been mentioned in any documents released in the federal investigation of Jefferson's role in a telecommunications deal in West Africa.
Asked whether the company had received a subpoena in the case, WorldSpace spokeswoman Judith Pryor said, "We're not talking about that." Jefferson also declined to comment when asked about Samara.
The annual financial disclosure report comes a day before House Democrats are expected to decide whether Jefferson, who has not been charged, should remain on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. The 50-member Democratic Steering Committee last week recommended that Jefferson be removed from the tax-writing panel. The 203-member caucus is expected to do the same and, if approved, it would require a vote by all 435 members of the House.
"The headline to a news report published today incorrectly stated that WORLDSPACE made a loan to Congressman William Jefferson. The loan referred to in the report was a personal loan made in 2001 by Noah Samara, the Company's Chairman and CEO, to Congressman Jefferson. The loan, which is a matter of public record, is not related to any Company business.WORLDSPACE and Mr. Samara have cooperated fully with the Department of Justice's ongoing investigation of Congressman William Jefferson.
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Rep. Jefferson Tried To Hide Papers
by Matt Margolis :: May 31, 2006 12:43 PM
Things continue to get worse for Rep. William Jefferson...
The Justice Department yesterday vigorously defended the recent weekend raid of Rep. William J. Jefferson's Capitol Hill office as part of a bribery investigation, asserting that the Democratic lawmaker attempted to hide documents from FBI agents while they were searching his New Orleans home last August.The government questioned in a 34-page motion filed in U.S. District Court here whether it could have obtained all the materials it had sought in a subpoena if it had not launched the surprise raid on Jefferson's congressional office May 20. According to the government filing, an FBI agent caught Jefferson slipping documents into a blue bag in the living room of his New Orleans home during a search.
"It is my belief that when Congressman Jefferson placed documents into the blue bag, he was attempting to conceal documents that were relevant to the investigation," FBI agent Stacey E. Kent of New Orleans stated in an affidavit that was part of the government's court submission. The document was filed in response to Jefferson's lawsuit demanding that the government return to him documents seized during the raid on his Capitol Hill office 11 days ago.
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Jefferson Charges by July
by Matt Margolis :: May 23, 2006 1:28 PM
From ABC's The Blotter:
Federal officials tell ABC News they already "have enough evidence to arrest" Congressman William Jefferson (D-LA) but will wait until a grand jury in Virginia returns a formal indictment. Charges are expected within four to six weeks on allegations Jefferson took bribes in exchange for his official help with a telecommunications contract in Africa.
UPDATE, 5/24/06 8:13 PM: Clearly realizing how Jefferson's ethical problems will haunt the Democratic Party, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has asked Jefferson to resign from Ways and Means Committee. "In the interest of upholding the high ethical standard of the House Democratic Caucus, I am writing to request your immediate resignation," she wrote. In the spirit of the House Democratic Caucus's "high ethical standards," Jefferson has once again refused to resign.
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Bribes, Lies and Videotape of Jefferson
by Matt Margolis :: May 21, 2006 5:34 PM
It wasn't that long ago when Rep. William Jefferson said, "I would take full responsibility for any crime that I committed, if that were the case. But I will not plead guilty to something I did not do, no matter how things are made to look and no matter the risk." Looks like he was lying...
A congressman under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded, according to a court document released Sunday. Agents later found the cash hidden in his freezer.Sadly, despite this evidence, he isn't taking responsibility for his actions.At one audiotaped meeting, Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the government contends was his corrupt role in getting his children a cut of a communications company's deal for work in Africa.
As Jefferson and the informant passed notes about what percentage the lawmaker's family might receive, the congressman "began laughing and said, 'All these damn notes we're writing to each other as if we're talking, as if the FBI is watching,'" according to the affidavit.
Jefferson, who represents New Orleans, has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing.
As for the $100,000, the government says Jefferson got the money in a leather briefcase last July 30 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Arlington. The plan was for the lawmaker to use the cash to bribe a high-ranking Nigerian official - the name is blacked out in the court document - to ensure the success of a business deal in that country, the affidavit said.
All but $10,000 was recovered on Aug. 3 when the FBI searched Jefferson's home in Washington. The money was stuffed in his freezer, wrapped in $10,000 packs and concealed in food containers and aluminum foil.
Jefferson's lawyer, Robert Trout, contended that the prosecutors' disclosure was "part of a public relations agenda and an attempt to embarrass Congressman Jefferson. The affidavit itself is just one side of the story which has not been tested in court," Trout said in a statement.
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Jefferson's Office Searched
by Matt Margolis :: May 21, 2006 12:25 AM
FBI agents searched the congressional office of Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana Saturday evening in connection with a public corruption investigation that has already netted two guilty pleas by two associates, authorities said.The search began at 7:15 p.m. EDT in the Rayburn House Office Building, where Jefferson's office is located, said Debra Weierman, an FBI spokeswoman.
It was not clear what agents were looking for and Weierman said she could provide no additional details because the affidavit supporting the search warrant was sealed.
But she indicated the search could take several hours.
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Jefferson Won't Resign
by Matt Margolis :: May 16, 2006 8:30 AM
U.S. Rep. William Jefferson said Monday he will not resign in the face of a federal investigation that has netted two guilty pleas from people who implicated him in a bribery scheme.And O.J. Simpson was "absolutely, 100% not guilty," too.Jefferson, a Democrat in his eighth congressional term, declared his innocence during an afternoon news conference outside the federal building in New Orleans.
"I would take full responsibility for any crime that I committed, if that were the case. But I will not plead guilty to something I did not do, no matter how things are made to look and no matter the risk," Jefferson said, reading from a statement.
Click here for The Jefferson File.
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CREW Prepares Ethics Complaint Against Rep. Jefferson
by Matt Margolis :: April 13, 2006 12:45 AM
Jefferson Breaks Federal Bribery Laws and House RulesWashington, DC –Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has prepared an ethics complaint against Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) regarding his role in a conspiracy and bribery scheme as well as for misusing federal resources in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Last fall, CREW named Mr. Jefferson as one of the 13 most corrupt Members of Congress.
CREW is asking that a Member of the House forward the complaint against Rep. Jefferson to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, better known as the House Ethics Committee. CREW is not submitting the complaint to the Ethics Committee directly because outside groups are barred from filing complaints. The rules allow a Member of the House to certify that CREW’s complaint has a good faith basis and forward the complaint to the Ethics Committee, stating that the complaint merits the Committee’s consideration.
CREW DOCUMENTS:
Jefferson Complaint - Exhibits
Jefferson Ethics Complaint
MORE:
The Jefferson File
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More Jefferson Aides Subpoenaed
by Matt Margolis :: March 30, 2006 11:43 PM
The Jefferson bribery scandal continues...
A U.S. District Court has issued grand jury subpoenas to six aides to Rep. William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat who has been implicated in a bribery case.In statements read on the House floor Thursday, the aides notified House Speaker Dennis Hastert that they had been served with grand jury subpoenas for testimony issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The court, located in Alexandria, Va., is set to hand down a sentence to a former aide to Jefferson, Brett Pfeffer, who last January pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting bribery of a public official and conspiracy.
Pfeffer, 37, who faces up to 20 years in prison, said a congressman demanded bribes in exchange for his assistance in brokering two African telecommunications deals. Court documents make clear that Jefferson is the accused congressman without specifically naming him.
PREVIOUS: William Jefferson Archives...
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Probe of Jefferson Continues, Media Doesn't Notice
by Matt Margolis :: March 17, 2006 7:29 AM
The latest news comes from Roll Call,
Even as Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) goes about his Congressional duties in the face of a corruption probe, a federal judge has postponed the sentencing of his former top aide until May 26, the latest sign that the investigation into the Louisiana lawmaker is continuing.District Judge T.S. Ellis III of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the postponement order on Friday. Brett Pfeffer, an ex-Jefferson staffer, had been scheduled for sentencing on March 31.
Pfeffer, who pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to bribe a public official and aiding and abetting the bribing of a public official, could receive up to 20 years in federal prison and be fined up to $500,000. Pfeffer has been cooperating with the Justice Department in its ongoing investigation of Jefferson.
According to documents released by the Justice Department, Jefferson — referred to only as “Representative A” in Pfeffer’s plea agreement — allegedly demanded an ownership stake of 5 percent to 7 percent in a telecommunications firm that Pfeffer was helping to start up in Nigeria. Pfeffer told prosecutors he believed that Jefferson sought a similar arrangement for a start-up telecom company in Ghana. Those ownership stakes were to be given to members of Jefferson’s family, according to the documents.
Jefferson also allegedly asked that a family member be placed on the payroll of the Nigerian company and be paid a salary of $2,500 to $5,000 per month. In return, Jefferson agreed to lobby top Nigerian and Ghanaian officials to promote deals between the two start-up companies and the respective African governments, the documents say. Jefferson reportedly also intervened with the U.S. Export-Import Bank to get loans for the two firms.
In the two months since Pfeffer implicated Jefferson — and even as rumors of a looming indictment or plea bargain continue to swirl — the eight-term lawmaker seems to be taking pains to show that the investigation hasn’t slowed him down.
Well, considering the media doesn't talk about Jefferson's problems it's obvious why he has lasted this investigation hasn't slowed him down.
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Jefferson's Paid Travel
by Matt Margolis :: February 13, 2006 2:48 PM
William Jefferson has had a lot of problems to occupy his time... and as lobbying activities and privately funded travel receive more and more scrutiny, it doesn't help Jefferson that of all legislators from Louisiana, he's taken the most of these questionable trips.
The leading recipient of [privately funded] trips in the Louisiana delegation is U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans. Jefferson’s office racked up about $81,800 worth of trips both home and abroad.Jefferson himself took six trips, among them excursions to Las Vegas, Qatar and Egypt. On most trips, Jefferson took his wife, Andrea, and he took his two daughters on a speaking engagement to Miami, according to congressional travel disclosure records.
Jefferson defended the travel, saying that the trips were either diplomatic or trade missions. He sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, which writes the nation’s tax laws, and the trade subcommittee.
Jefferson said he would support banning some trips.
"It’s probably good to ban trips to play golf, but to go help the Middle East?" he said.
Jefferson’s legislative director, Todd Metcalf, called the trips "extremely educational." Yeah, I bet they are.
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Jefferson Claims His Bribes Were Private
by Matt Margolis :: January 22, 2006 11:04 AM
Even after Democrats get caught, they never want to accept full responsibility for their actions...
U.S. Rep. William Jefferson's public response to the federal government's investigation of his business dealings suggests his legal defense could be that his actions were distinct and separate from his congressional responsibilities and therefore not subject to federal bribery statutes, legal experts say.The New Orleans Democrat last week said he had never requested or accepted anything to "perform a service for which I have been elected." He said he is disappointed and perplexed by a former aide's guilty plea last week and the former aide's accusations that Jefferson had demanded jobs for family members and a business stake in exchange for his assistance with lucrative telecommunications contracts in Nigeria and Ghana.
His claims that these deals were private don't hold up, however, since a couple weeks ago one of his former aides, Brett Pfeffer, pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy. According Pfeffer's plea agreement, Jefferson, referred to as "Representative A," "sought various things of value in return for performing official acts in furtherance of the Nigerian Deal, including, but not limited to, funneling legal work for the Nigeria Deal to a member of Representative A's family, putting another member of Representative A's family on the payroll to receive approximately $2,500 to $5,000 in monthly retainers from a (cooperating witness's) newly formed Nigerian company" and directing "that members of Representative A's family receive an ownership interest of approximately five percent to seven percent of cooperating witness's newly formed Nigerian company." Being a congressman, Jefferson will have a hard time separating his capacity as an elected official had nothing to do with this scandal.
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William Jefferson Linked to Katrina Charity Controversy
by Jason Smith :: January 18, 2006 10:02 PM
While one William Jefferson is anxiously awaiting the end of his punishment for committing perjury, another William Jefferson is busy arranging sweetheart deals, giving away Katrina donations to his own pet projects.
In heading both the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which claims to have distributed the $290,000 and the WOW program, which is closely connected with the group (COFFEE) that received the funds, Jefferson has opened himself up to accusations of conflict of interest.
Somehow I find it amusing that Democrats actually think their "moral high ground" campaign is going to resonate with an informed American public.
PREVIOUS:
Former Aide To William Jefferson Admits To Bribery, Conspiracy
Jefferson used National Guard To Visit Home In Louisiana...
Now This Stings...
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Former Aide To William Jefferson Admits To Bribery, Conspiracy
by Matt Margolis :: January 11, 2006 4:01 PM
Rep. William Jefferson has been under investigation for corruption, and things continue to look bad for him. In August, his homes and offices were raided by the FBI. Now, one of his former aides has negotiated a plea deal with prosecutors, and is expected to admit to bribery of public officials and conspiracy.
Brett Pfeffer is expected to plead guilty to the charges Wednesday afternoon at a hearing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, according to court documents. The documents do not name the public officials who allegedly were bribed. The former aide to Jefferson would face a maximum of 20 years in prison.Pfeffer's attorney, Paul Knight, declined comment Wednesday morning.
Jefferson's spokeswoman, Melanie Roussell, also declined to comment on the plea deal. Pfeffer was listed in old U.S. House telephone directories as legislative director in 1995, 1996 and 1997. In the fall 1993 book, he was listed as military legislative assistant for Rep. Earl Hutto of Florida. His name does not appear in more recent directories.
This likely means Pfeffer is going to start talking openly with prosecutors... It is safe to say William Jefferson is in big trouble...
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Jefferson used National Guard To Visit Home In Louisiana...
by Matt Margolis :: September 13, 2005 12:30 PM
ABC News gives up the story...
Amid the chaos and confusion that engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, [Rep. William Jefferson, (D-LA)] used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings — even while New Orleans residents were trying to get rescued from rooftops, ABC News has learned.
Apparently, Jefferson had requested the National Guard "to take him on a tour of the flooded portions of his congressional district." It was during the tour that Jefferson made the request to be taken to his home...
The [flood] water reached to the third step of Jefferson's house...and the vehicle pulled up onto Jefferson's front lawn so he wouldn't have to walk in the water. Jefferson went into the house alone, the source says, while the soldiers waited on the porch for about an hour. Finally, according to the source, Jefferson emerged with a laptop computer, three suitcases, and a box about the size of a small refrigerator, which the enlisted men loaded up into the truck.
Could this be the reason Jefferson wanted needed to go to his home and retrieve those items? And what about that box "the size of a small refrigerator?" Seems kind of curious considering when Jefferson's home in DC was raided last month the Washington Post reported that "FBI agents seized a number of items, including a large amount of cash that was kept in a freezer..."
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Now This Stings...
by Matt Margolis :: August 14, 2005 6:18 PM
Rep. William Jefferson's (D-LA) homes and offices were raided by the FBI last week...
Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), a veteran member of the Ways and Means Committee whose homes in Washington and New Orleans were raided by the FBI last week, had been the target of an undercover FBI sting involving public corruption for nearly a year, according to law enforcement sources.Investigators are looking into whether Jefferson illegally pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars of an investor's money from business transactions during the sting, according to the sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case.
The warrants also indicate that federal investigators are particularly interested in the connections between Jefferson and a small technology company, iGate Inc. in Louisville, Ky., the source said. The company was one sponsor of a weeklong, $16,312 trip Jefferson made to Africa last year, records show.
Of course, it's very tangled web of corruption...
As they have since the sweeping raids and subpoenas came down Aug. 3, federal authorities on Friday refused to discuss the matter. Lawyers familiar with the investigation said the decision to secure the search warrants from the federal 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, rather than have them signed by a federal district judge, reflected the Justice Department's intense concern about keeping its legal maneuvering secret. The lawyers said they think federal officials dodged the district level because one of Jefferson's daughters, Jelani Jefferson, is a clerk for U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon.
According to the WaPo article, a federal grand jury in Alexandria, VA is investigating the matter.
