ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a former Louisiana congressman Wednesday of taking bribes on 11 of 16 counts in a case in which agents found $90,000 in his freezer.
Former Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat who had represented parts of New Orleans, was accused of accepting more than $400,000 in bribes and seeking millions more in exchange for brokering business deals in Africa. He was convicted of charges including bribery, racketeering and money laundering. He was acquitted of counts including obstruction of justice and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
He was the first official to be charged with violating that act, which makes it illegal to bribe foreign government officials.
It took jurors five days to reach a decision after an eight-week trial that was mostly government testimony. The defense wrapped up its case in a matter of hours.
Prosecutor Mark Lytle said Jefferson could face more than 20 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. He wanted the 62-year-old former congressman detained immediately after the verdict, saying his ties to Africa made him a risk to flee what could amount to a life prison sentence.
However, Judge T.S. Ellis III allowed Jefferson to remain free on bond because of his local ties.
The defense argued that Jefferson was acting as a private business consultant in brokering the deals and that his actions did not constitute bribery under federal law.
Prosecutors accused Jefferson of hiding bribes by funneling money disguised as consulting fees through sham companies controlled by his wife and brother.
In one recording played by defense attorneys, Jefferson explained that he did not want his name on any of the deals to avoid an appearance of impropriety.
Legally, much of the case turned on whether Jefferson's deal-brokering constituted an "official act" under federal bribery laws.
Jefferson has been under investigation since March 2005. In August of that year, FBI agents searched his Washington home and found $90,000 cash in his freezer, wrapped in foil and hidden in boxes of frozen pie crust.
Jefferson has disputed a claim by prosecutors that the freezer cash was bribe money.
Jefferson is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 30. The jurors must return to the courthouse Thursday to consider whether Jefferson has to forfeit more than $450,000 in alleged bribe receipts.

http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3393:-former-congressman-jefferson-convicted-in-freezer-cash-case-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

How come I hear the haters quite? Or has Atiku bribed the US courts too?

Thumbs up Atiku!

Atiku 2011

No Shaking,

He is the best among the rest.

If you think otherwise, go out, I will vote for you.

^^
Black-revo hiding under another username.There was no need 4 dat

You can believe what you want Philip. I wish there was a way to prove to you that we are two different persons.

What was your reaction to the news anyway?

mustyblax:

You can believe what you want Philip. I wish there was a way to prove to you that we are two different persons.

What was your reaction to the news anyway?

lol. . .well,not an Atiku "fan" though.but always knew d allegations were just political

Isn't that just so obvious? But yet its the same bullshit that people use against him,

Ridiculous people,

Is it that peeps can't read or can't comprehend?
How was Atiku vindicated for gawd's sake

@poster,
if u are working as a campeign agent or manager, am sorry these things don't count.
atiku can only be judged here. if jefferson was convicted for those issues, it means he has partners in nigeria then atiku is the right person to look at.
apart from the bribery issues in the usa, obasanjo and ribadu indicted atiku over ptf account. i hope u are not surprise to hear that atiku accepted in good faith but insisted that he was not alone in the deal.
ur atiku is just smart and that is why he is still free in nigeria today. he insisted on not going down alone. obj knew very well as much as ribadu did that atiku was out to implicate him(obj) because they were partners in crime.
under that same regime, one of the presidential aids(andy uba) was caught in the usa via the presidential jet over money laundary. he was convicted and he paid fine and forfited so good funds to the govt of usa and came back here as a free man. ribadu tagged that matter a civil case.
ur atiku is not clean just that he knows too much abt the dirty deals of that same regime and a kind of always ready to blackmail obj.

The EFCC under Ribadu as well as Obasanjo indicted everyone didn't it? Nobody took any indictments made by the EFCC serious.

Atiku however challenged the EFCC in court and they had no case to proof.

Orangemen, please remind me when Atiku accepted any indictment or allegations in good faith

THUMBS UP ATIKU..
THE RIGHTEOUS WILL ALWAYS COME OUT CLEAN AND UNHARMED!!!