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Wow! Who'd a thunk it?
Bet he'll claim that the bribes were to rebuild his ravaged city...
Hope he gets nailed hard. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/04/jefferson/index.html WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Nearly two years after federal agents reported finding $90,000 in a freezer in his Washington home, U.S. Rep. William Jefferson has been charged with a global campaign to solicit bribes, obstruct justice and engage in racketeering, Justice Department officials said Monday. The veteran Louisiana Democrat faces 16 criminal counts, said Alice Fisher, assistant U.S. attorney general in the criminal division. "This case is about greed, power and arrogance," said Joe Persichini, director of the FBI's Washington field office, which led the investigation. In addition to the racketeering and solicitation charges, Jefferson has been charged with money laundering, wire fraud, conspiracy and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. (Read the indictment (PDF)) "Congressman Jefferson is innocent. He plans to fight this indictment and clear his name," said Jefferson's attorney, Robert Trout. He said the "creative" indictment does not say Jefferson promised anyone legislative favors. Jefferson is the first U.S. official ever charged under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, which prohibits corporate bribery. The charges are based on 11 schemes in which Jefferson allegedly solicited bribes for himself and his family from government and business officials in the United States, Nigeria, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome e Principe, U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said at an afternoon news conference. (Watch prosecutors describe the alleged schemes ) "Mr. Jefferson corruptly traded on his good office and on the Congress where he served ... to enrich himself and his family through a pervasive pattern of fraud, bribery, and corruption that spanned many years and two continents," Rosenberg said. Jefferson sought millions of dollars in cash and company stock and received "somewhat less than $400,000," Rosenberg said. Jefferson has denied wrongdoing, and won a ninth congressional term in a December runoff despite the allegations. But the probe already has led to guilty pleas by a Kentucky businessman and a former aide to the congressman. Jefferson's homes in Washington and New Orleans were raided in August 2005. The following May, investigators raided his Capitol Hill office, sparking a furor among congressional leaders who argued the search violated the Constitution's separation of powers. Rosenberg said some documents seized in that search support the case. Fisher called the search "necessary, appropriate and constitutional." In court papers defending the 2006 search, investigators disclosed that they had found $90,000 in cash in the freezer of Jefferson's Washington home -- part of a $100,000 payment delivered by an informant in the bribery probe, according to federal agents. Jefferson will be arraigned and have the opportunity to enter a plea in federal court in Washington at 9 a.m. Friday, Rosenberg said. Conviction on all charges could bring a total of 235 years in prison. "There will be no plea bargain," Trout said. Fisher and Rosenberg denied that Monday's announcement was in any way affected by recent controversy surrounding the Justice Department and the firings of federal prosecutors. "Frankly, we don't give a damn about politics," Rosenberg said. "... We believe he broke the law. That's why we brought the charges. Period." The allegations against Jefferson emerged in the heat of the 2006 congressional election season, when Democrats were castigating House Republicans for tolerating what they called a "culture of corruption." After the raid on Jefferson's office, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi pushed Jefferson out of his seat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. But in February, Pelosi -- now speaker of the House -- agreed to place Jefferson on the Homeland Security Committee. The move drew criticism from Republicans, who accused Pelosi of backing away from promises to clean up Congress. Pelosi said the assignment was appropriate, given the committee's jurisdiction over matters related to Hurricane Katrina. The 2005 storm devastated Jefferson's district. |
He's going to jail for sure. Now let's see if he gets drummed out of the House by his own party or the opposition first.
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The guy has been crooked for years. Heck the wunderbunny's in Louisiana relected him while he was under investigation.
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Re: Wow! Who'd a thunk it?
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Thank goodness...keep posted, he's just the tip of the iceberg down here. I can "feel" that we're going to have very promising elections this fall as well.
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took them long enough
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Maybe I need to look in my freezer. I usually keep the Tysons buffalo chicken strips there but ya never know...
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Rove probably snuck it in while looking for a Hot Pocket. :)
Seriously, we need MUCH TOUGHER prison sentances for politicians like Jefferson who break the law. I see it as a kind of traitorous act against the people, against the country. 20 years of hard time would be nice. Get a few of those convictions under our belts and you'll see just how clean politics can get. |
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I'm quite sure we have tough sentences for the crimes with which he has been charged. Now it's a matter of whether the prosecutor wants to go after bigger fish and cut him a deal and if the judge ignore sentencing recommendations in the event of a plea bargain.
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If all the small fish are put away with big fish sentancing, guess what, there are no more big fish. This guy should be breaking rocks with a 12 lb sledge for longer than his natural productive life. |
Well, whether you want to believe it or not, in the federal prison system you have to serve at least 80% of your sentence, so in order to only serve two yrs., he'd have to be sentenced to 30 mos. and I'm sure he'll get plenty more than that. Not saying he doesn't deserve to be in a gulag and he probably won't be on hard labor detail. But the man is going away for a while. That's for sure. And he'll be bankrupted by legal bills, no longer allowed to vote or own guns and he'll be radioactive politically.
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I want to agree with you Rick, and it all makes sense. Just seems that reality has a way of making these guys superstars making big $ some time in the future.
I'm so tired of hand slaps. |
Too much to hope that he ends up being used as an example. I'm sure he's already placed a call to OJ's lawyer.
This gives me some hope tho - "There will be no plea bargain," Trout said. |
OJ's lawyer died last year. He'll need one of the Washington super lawyers like Bob Bennett or Plato Cacheris. If it's Cacheris, you know it's because he's guilty as sin and wants a good plea bargain.
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"O.J. Simpson’s attorney, Yale Galanter, said he may sue Jeff Ruby, owner of Jeff Ruby's steakhouse in Louisville after Ruby refused to serve the former NFL star Friday night. Galanter said that the incident was about race, and he intended to pursue the matter and possibly go after the restaurant’s liquor license. “He screwed with the wrong guy, he really did,” Galanter told The Associated Press by telephone last night. Ruby said the incident had to do with Simpson’s past. “It was the first time since 1994 he has ever shown any class,” Ruby said. “He showed it that night in the restaurant” by leaving quietly. " |
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While China does not hesitate to sentence corrupt policitians to death, you rarely hear about the sentences ever being carried out and they only go after the really, really egregious ones when they become too big to hide from the public. Jefferson is very small fry compared to the stuff that gets Chinese pols death sentences. Some of those guys are on the take for 8-9 figure bribes, bulldoze entire neighborhoods and hand the land off to developer friends for kickbacks, etc. I'd love to see that stuff enforced uniformly in China and then we can talk about it here.
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"from government and business officials in the United States, Nigeria, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome e Principe, "
From Nigeria hey? Must be money made off the check scams. :) Speedy:) |
He will place the race card, just like our very own Corrupt Brown. This ***** has gotten away with everything
Rep. Corrine Brown - running on a record of fraud Quote:
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