William Jefferson Indicted On Corruption ChargesRep. William Jefferson (D-LA) has officially been indicted on racketeering, soliciting bribes and money-laundering according to the Associated Press.
The indictment handed up Monday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, is more than an inch thick and lists 16 alleged violations of federal law that could keep Jefferson in prison for up to 200 years.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’s case has become best known for the nearly $100,000 in cash found in his freezer that he took from a videotaped encounter with an FBI informant.
His House office was searched by the FBI in 2006, which raised bipartisan outrage amongst Congressional leadership who called the raide unconstitutional on the grounds of the “speech and debate” clause.