Congressman Bill Jefferson was indicted yesterday on racketeering, fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice charges. The Louisiana politician could be sentenced a maximum of 235 years in prison for the 16 indictments that covered 94 pages.
The Democrat was discharged from the House Ways and Means Committee last year and now the Small Business Committee wants him removed. Efforts for him to be on the Homeland Security Committee were unsuccessful. There is a great possibility that he will be expelled from Congress.
Jefferson is facing accusations that he promoted business interests where he sought contracts in Africa in exchange for over $8 million in fees and stocks for himself. This is the first time that any U.S. official was charged with violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The act forbids bribery of foreign leaders. Jefferson told co-workers that he needed money to bribe Nigeria’s former president, Atiku Abubakar. Although the indictment did not name Abubakar, it does refer to a high ranking Nigerian official who had dealings with Jefferson.
Jefferson’s attorney Robert Trout says that the FBI is guilty of entrapment, and Jefferson is innocent of the charges that the FBI has brought against him. "They decided that it was an opportunity to bring down a congressman," Trout said. "They get excited about that."
The assistant director on the FBI’s Washington, D.C. office, Joseph Persichini Jr. said "This case is about greed, power and arrogance. Everyone is entitled to honest and ethical public service."
Prosecutors are accusing Jefferson of improperly using his office and status in order to receive payments in the form of "monthly fees or retainers, consulting fees, percentage shares of revenue and profit, flat fees per item sold, and stock ownership in the companies seeking his official assistance."
