Former Rep. William Jefferson Sentenced to 13 Years

By Jeralyn, Section Corruption Cases
Posted on Fri Nov 13, 2009 at 05:55:41 PM EST
Tags: William Jefferson (all tags)

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Former Congressman William Jefferson was sentenced to 13 years today. He was convicted of 11 counts related to public corruption.

Jefferson was found guilty after an eight-week trial of soliciting bribes, depriving citizens of honest service, money laundering and using his congressional office as a racketeering enterprise. The case was best known for the $90,000 federal agents found hidden in the freezer of Jefferson's home in Washington, D.C.

The five charges for which he was acquitted included single count of violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act -- the charge most closely related to the $90,000 found in his freezer.

Prosecutors asked for 27 years. The defense asked for less than 10. Jefferson was allowed to remain on bond pending a hearing next week on the Government's request he be ordered into custody immediately. [More...]

The judge said he will hold a hearing next week to set date for when Jefferson must report to prison. If the judge approves the prosecution's request, the former congressman would have to report immediately. Jefferson's attorneys have asked for Jan. 4 reporting date. Jefferson is expected to be assigned to a low-security prison in the federal system, possibly in Florida. Ellis has not yet ruled on whether Jefferson can remain free while he pursues his appeal, which will likely take months.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of $$470,653.47 to the government. Jefferson and his wife filed for bankruptcy recently, and his lawyers are owed $5.7 million.

Jefferson intends to appeal:

The attorneys have said that they will challenge several decisions made by Ellis during the trial including his definition of official acts, which they believer was overly broad and his decision not to tell the jury that an FBI agent assigned to the case had a sexual relationship with Mody in 2005 when she was recording conversations with Jefferson.

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Former Rep. William Jefferson Sentenced to 13 Years | 4 comments (4 topical)

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Adios, Mr. Jefferson. (none / 0) (#1)
by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Nov 13, 2009 at 07:14:40 PM EST

If I was the presiding judge, I would have allowed the disclosure that the FBI agent was sleeping with one of the prosecution's witness, and let jurors decide for themselves whether or not that revelation has any tangential bearing on the case. That might be grounds for Mr. Jefferson's appeal to seek a new trial.

Further, I find Mr. Jefferson's sentence of 13 years to be somewhat excessive, given that former San Diego GOP Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham received only 8 years, 4 months for far more egregious public conduct, i.e., literally selling congressional appropriations, whereas Jefferson was merely going to use that $90,000 found in his freezer to bribe the vice-president of Nigeria.

(I can't believe I'm finding myself qualifying the prospective bribery of a foreign official like that, but I guess there's a first time for everything.)

In the meantime, I bid good riddance to bad trash. People like William Jefferson and Duke Cunningham have no business being anywhere near the public domain.

Aloha.

Thanks for looking up the Cunningham info (none / 0) (#2)
by ruffian on Fri Nov 13, 2009 at 09:25:20 PM EST

I was also wondering how this sentence compared to others since it seemed excessive to me too. Something in the 7 -10 yr range with loss of reputation and never serving in office again would be justice to me.

[ Parent ]

One big difference (none / 0) (#3)
by jbindc on Sat Nov 14, 2009 at 07:14:14 AM EST

Duke Cunningham pled guilty to tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud in federal court. The recommended sentence was 10 years, and he got 8 because the judge took into account the fact that he has prostate cancer and he also agreed to help the government in their other prosecutions of others involved in the defense contractor bribery scandal.

William Jefferson, on the other hand, went to trial and was convicted on 11 (of 16) counts of corruption. And the fact that he got only 13 years, when the recommended sentence was 27-33 years, shows that it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

As an aside - Cunningham has also shown remorse after the fact, while Jefferson is still defiant.

[ Parent ]

: I would also opine (none / 0) (#4)
by Dark Avenger on Sat Nov 14, 2009 at 10:17:49 AM EST

that having a freezer full of cash makes this seem more egregious than the items that Cunningham bought with his bribe money that were later auctioned off:

Morgan Stewart sent an e-mail to friends early yesterday before driving from her Valley Center home to a warehouse in an industrial park here near Long Beach.
"I'm going to Cunningham's booty auction," she told them.
Stewart , who calls herself "a liberal Democrat," is no fan of former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham but she wanted a piece of history. For $1,150, she got one.
Two, actually: a pair of cobalt blue candlestick holders that were among the bribes Cunningham pocketed in one of the biggest corruption scandals in the history of Congress.
"I'm going to display them in my house," she said.
Stewart initially planned to put them on her dinner table but, concerned about the dangers posed by her adventurous cat, instead chose the fireplace mantel.
"It was used to buy a congressman and he got caught," she said. "It almost has a moral connection."
The items auctioned off yesterday totaled $94,625 - a small part of the more than $2.4 million in bribes Cunningham took. But to Stewart, they epitomized the extent of his corruption.
Cunningham himself was an interesting piece of work:

In the response penned last month, Cunningham expressed bitterness toward Stern and Wade. And he offered an achingly personal glimpse of the toll exacted on him and his relationship with his now-estranged family by his dramatic descent from congressional power to Inmate #94405198.
"Each time you print it hurts my family and now I have lost them along with everything I have worked for during my 64 years of life," he wrote. "I am human not an animal to keep whipping."
In a settlement announced in federal court yesterday, Cunningham's estranged wife, Nancy, agreed to give up any interest in the sale proceeds of the couple's Del Mar-area and Rancho Santa Fe homes and acknowledged that she and her husband owe the U.S. government almost $1.7 million in back taxes, interest and penalties.
Cunningham's four-page letter is marked by occasional spelling and punctuation lapses. In it, Cunningham expresses regret for his actions but stops short of acknowledging any wrongdoing other than accepting "gifts" from Wade.
Wade, founder of Washington-based MZM Inc., did more than purchase Cunningham's house. He provided Cunningham with rugs, furniture, jewelry and cash in exchange for the congressman's backing for defense and intelligence contracts for his company. Cunningham was a senior member of the House Appropriations and Intelligence committees.

[ Parent ]