For decades, democrats have been accused of treating tax money as a disposable commodity. Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana may now become the poster child for such criticism. Jefferson was convicted Wednesday on 11 of the 16 corruption charges against him arising out of the discovery of $90,000 in his freezer.
The federal jury convicted Jefferson on four bribery counts, three counts of money laundering, three counts of wire fraud and one count of racketeering. On the other hand, Jefferson was acquitted on five other counts including wire fraud and obstruction of justice. The 62 year-old
Democrat was indicted two years ago. The cash in his freezer consisted of marked bills from an FBI informant in a video taped transaction. He faces up to 150 years in prison. His sentencing hearing will be held on October 30, 2009.
The federal jury convicted Jefferson on four bribery counts, three counts of money laundering, three counts of wire fraud and one count of racketeering. On the other hand, Jefferson was acquitted on five other counts including wire fraud and obstruction of justice. The 62 year-old
Democrat was indicted two years ago. The cash in his freezer consisted of marked bills from an FBI informant in a video taped transaction. He faces up to 150 years in prison. His sentencing hearing will be held on October 30, 2009.
Despite the conviction, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis denied the prosecution request for Jefferson to be taken into custody. "No person, not even a congressman, is above the law," said U.S. Attorney Dana Boente. Jefferson was represented by Robert Trout, who will undoubtedly initiate an appeal. U.S. v. Jefferson
Did Jefferson use his congressional clout from 2001 and 2005 to solicit monetary bribes for himself and his family in exchange for promoting products and services in Africa? Descriptions and pictures of the open freezer show bills wrapped in foil and tucked into frozen food containers. Jefferson is no dummy. He graduated from Harvard Law School. He served as a representative of Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District, which includes most of the New Orleans area. He held office for 18 years (nine terms.) Anh Joseph Cao won his seat in the December 2008 election. Jefferson served on the House Ways and Means Committee's subcommittee on trade and on the Budget Committee. Jefferson co-chaired the caucus on Africa Trade and Investment as well as the caucus on Nigeria. Jefferson to this day maintains his innocence.
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14 comments:
Jefferson gives politicians a bad name.
The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly', meaning 'many', and the word 'ticks', meaning 'blood sucking parasites'.
Larry Hardiman
'In archaeology you uncover the unknown. In diplomacy you cover the known.'
Thomas Pickering
A little girl asked her father, 'do all fairy tales begin with "Once upon a time"?
The father replied, 'No, some begin with - If I am elected.'
Jester
It's tough being a politician. Half your reputation is ruined by lies; the other half is ruined by the truth!
Jay
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Only in America......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.
~C~
It was election time and the politician decided to go out to the local reservation and try to get the Native American vote. They were all assembled in the Council Hall to hear the speech. The politician had worked up to his finale, and the crowd was getting more and more excited. "I promise better education opportunities for Native Americans!" The crowd went wild, shouting "Hoya Hoya". The politician was a bit puzzled by the native word, but was encouraged by their enthusiasm. "I promise gambling reforms to allow a Casino on the Reservation!" "Hoya! Hoya!" cried the crowd, stomping their feet. "I promise more social reforms and job opportunities for Native Americans!" The crowd reached a frenzied pitch shouting "Hoya! Hoya! Hoya!" After the speech, the Politician was touring the Reservation, and saw a tremendous herd of cattle. Since he was raised on a ranch, and knew a bit about cattle, he asked the Chief if he could get closer to take a look at the cattle. "Sure," the Chief said, "but be careful not to step in the hoya."
Come on. This was a set up as a result of Mr. Jefferson "Finally got a piece of the pie. Moving on up."
Yup, he thought he would move on up by storing a little cold hard cash in the freezer. Perfectly innocent and most certainly done all the time. NOT.
I always wondered where the phrase cold hard cash came from.
I always wondered where the phrase cold hard cash came from.
I like to keep my cash in the microwave ...
Thats "hot cash" that needs a cycle in the washing machine to be laundered, mS. c.
ha-ha! I liked that!
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