Former Louisiana congressman William Jefferson was sentenced this afternoon to 13 years in federal prison for his conviction on public corruption charges.
Prosecutors had asked for up to 33 years. Jefferson’s lawyers argued for less than 10.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III said Jefferson’s conduct was “a cancer on the body politic.”
Jefferson, a Democrat, was convicted on 11 counts related to a scheme in which he used influence to win contracts for businesses in Africa, while accepting millions of dollars in payments and stock to family-owned businesses. During a raid, the FBI famously found $90,000 in his freezer.
You can see a slideshow of the freezer-cash episode here.