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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police detained Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak on criminal charges, a senior police source told Reuters on Friday, declining to give the details of the criminal case.

Former legislator likely faces four years or more in prison Former state Rep. Pete Kott, a 14-year veteran of the Legislature and one-time House speaker, was convicted Tuesday by a federal jury of conspiring with Veco Corp. executives to push an oil tax favored by industry. Jurors convicted the Eagle River Republican of conspiracy, bribery and extortion. They acquitted him of a fourth felony charge, wire fraud, that was based on a single cell phone conversation that went across state lines.

Drug addicts in the town of Drammen say they were offered money or free kebabs to vote for the Labour Party in the local election last week. Bent Sandberg was offered NOK 50 (about USD 9) to vote for the Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) in the local election last week. He declined the bribe. "It is nasty to take advantage of society’s weakest people. And to offer NOK 50 is scornful. But I know many people accepted the money," he told local newspaper Drammens Tidende. Reports were also coming out Wednesday that some drug addicts had been offered free kebabs to...

EL PASO, Texas - An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent convicted of taking a $20,000 bribe was sentenced Thursday to more than three years in federal prison. Santiago Efrain Valle, 44, was convicted in April of one count each of bribery and extortion under the color of law. Valle denied that he offered to have an immigration charge dropped and the risk classification changed for a Mexican national jailed at the ICE detention center in El Paso in exchange for the bribe. He plans to appeal. Valle, who could have received an 18-year sentence, received three years and eight months...

BEIJING — China has executed its former food and drug regulator, putting him to death for taking bribes and approving fake drugs, in the latest dramatic development in its widening crisis over the safety of its products. China also admitted that its food and drug situation is “not very satisfactory” and suffers from a “weak” foundation. Zheng Xiaoyu, former chief of the State Food and Drug Administration, was executed Tuesday for accepting $850,000 (U.S.) in bribes and kickbacks from eight companies. He had been the top regulator of food and drug safety from 1998 to 2005. His corrupt practices allowed...

North Korean defects ― three times July 07, 2007 Cigarettes, a used bicycle and cash. Those were some of the things a North Korean defector used to bribe border guards as he went back and forth three times between his homeland and South Korea, the National Intelligence Service said yesterday. The last time, the man brought North Korean neighbors with him. They couldn’t keep their story straight, and that led to him getting caught, the agency said. The 30-year-old North Korean defector, who was not identified, was arrested yesterday on charges of having the secret visits, which violated the National...

If it turns out that [former Finnish President and UN Envoy on Kosovo] Ahtisaari was bribed to suggest Kosovo's independence in his plan, it would cast a serious shadow over his proposal, said Serbia's Parliament Speaker Oliver Dulich. "This, of course, should be looked into," he said. According to Fokus, a Bosnian Serb newspaper, the German federal security service, or BND, confirmed these suspicions in their report to the UN GenSec Ban Ki Moon. According to the report, Martti Ahtisaari was paid 40 million euros by the Albanian leadership in the Serbian province of Kosovo-Metohia.

Former Orleans Parish School Board President Ellenese Brooks-Simms pled guilty to accepting $140,000 in bribes from a local businessman in exchange for promoting and approving a software education program for the parish schools, her attorney announced Wednesday. --- SNIP ---- The documents showed that in 2002, 2003 and 2004, Brooks-Simms approved contracts between the school board and JRL Enterprises to provide the OPSB with computer-related equipment, programs and services and that on three separate occasions she received payments in the amount of $40,000, $50,000 and $50,000.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A state trooper accused of letting a drug charge slide in exchange for oral sex from a porn star has been fired, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said Thursday. The state also is considering criminal charges against James Randy Moss related to her claims that he threw away her bottle of prescription pills before their alleged encounter, Department of Safety spokesman Mike Browning said. Moss has not indicated whether he would contest his firing and did not immediately return a message left at his home Thursday evening. Moss was suspended earlier this week while the THP investigated the...

<p>A porn star claims a state trooper who stopped her on a highway let drug charges slide in exchange for oral sex. And she says she's got proof — the trooper's own video images of the roadside tryst.</p> <p>The allegations have led to a Tennessee Highway Patrol investigation and the trooper's suspension.</p>

Rep. Jackson-Lee: Chavez Has 'Many Friends' in Congress Reprinted from NewsMax.com Feb. 23, 2007 A U.S. congresswoman called on the Bush administration Wednesday to reconsider its ban on selling parts for U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to Venezuela, urging improved ties between the two nations. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, told reporters that she was making the first U.S. congressional visit to Venezuela since President Hugo Chavez's December re-election with the message: "I want an immediate repairing of the relations between the United States and Venezuela." Jackson Lee described Venezuela as a friendly nation that the U.S. should...

London's socialist mayor signed an agreement Tuesday with Venezuela's state-owned oil company to provide discounted oil for the city's iconic red buses, praising the idea as the brainstorm of the country's leftist leader, Hugo Chavez. Ken Livingstone — a committed socialist known locally as "Red Ken" — met with Chavez last year at City Hall to discuss the deal to provide cheap oil to London in exchange for advice on urban planning in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. Venezuela has signed similar agreements with cities in several other countries, including the United States. Critics call it "oil diplomacy" — and say...

Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign reached a deal to pay a key South Carolina black leader's consulting firm more than $200,000 just days before he agreed to endorse her run for president.....The arrangement involves South Carolina state Sen. Darrell Jackson, a well-connected African-American leader and pastor whose support is coveted by national campaigns. Jackson confirmed that his public-relations firm struck a deal with Clinton's campaign just days ago for a contract worth up to $10,000 a month through the 2008 elections. Jackson had also been in talks with Sen. Barack Obama's campaign about endorsing him and a consulting contract for more...

Instead of talking in sweeping platitudes about "ethics reform," Senate Democrats might want to prove they mean it by dumping their ethically challenged majority leader, Harry Reid. The Nevada lawmaker has been implicated in yet another land scheme that this time could net him a tidy $50,000 to $290,000. Los Angeles Times investigative reporters Chuck Neubauer and Tom Hamburger, this week revealed that Reid paid $166 an acre for valuable northern Arizona land whose market value, according to the county assessor, four years ago was worth $2,144 an acre. Who would be a big enough fool to sell Reid the...

- The Mexican suspected drug smuggler granted immunity in the controversial - and politically explosive - prosecution of two U.S. Border Patrol agents is not entirely off the hook. U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, the man at the center of the row over the prosecution and jailing of the two agents who shot the illegal immigrant, confirmed to Cybercast News Service Thursday that there is an ongoing investigation into Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila and others. Aldrete-Davila had been driving a van containing 743 pounds of marijuana on Feb. 17, 2005, the day border agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean shot and wounded...

Officer had no need for bribe, relative says Brother-in-law says Alaniz earned enough with his overtime work The brother-in-law of a Houston police officer charged with accepting a $200 bribe said he doesn't believe the accusation because the officer has made more than $200,000 in overtime in the past two years. "I don't see why anybody making that much money would need to take a bribe," said John Gomez. Officer Alfred Alaniz, 53, was charged Friday with felony bribery after the Houston Police Department accused him of accepting money during a sting, in which an undercover investigator posed as a...

Jefferson's problems not slowing himBy GERARD SHIELDS Advocate Washington bureau Published: Jan 17, 2007 (AP) file photo Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. WASHINGTON — He received a standing ovation from the Congressional Black Caucus. He participated in the ceremonial swearing-in led by his perceived arch-nemesis, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. And in his first week, he became entangled in temporary House ethics rules dust-up after his staff said they mistakenly sent out campaign contribution solicitations on congressional stationery. U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, is back in town. “I’m just very, very grateful to the folks back home and that...

Rep. Jefferson Goes Into Debt in Re-Election BidPublished: January 10, 2007 This story is based on a report published by CQ’s Political Money Line on Jan. 10. Louisiana Democratic Rep. William J. Jefferson overcame harsh allegations of ethical misconduct to win a Dec. 9 House election runoff — securing a ninth term with an unexpectedly comfortable 57 percent to 43 percent win over a fellow Democrat, state Rep. Karen Carter. But a report by CQ’s Political Money Line shows that snatching victory from the jaws of defeat came at a high personal cost to Jefferson. The Political Money Line analysis...

Congressman William Jefferson has been re-elected to Congress, according to WWL-TV election analyst Greg Rigamer. With two-thirds of the vote counted, Jefferson had a 6,000-vote lead over challenger Karen Carter. "I'm a little worried about what this is going to say to the nation," said City Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, a Carter supporter. Jefferson was forced into the runoff against a fellow Democrat when he failed to win 50 percent of the vote in a crowded open multiparty primary. His opponent, state Rep. Karen Carter, is seeking to become the first black woman from Louisiana elected to Congress. Jefferson, 59, has...

Three candidates swat at JeffersonEthics, city's recovery are debate topics Friday, October 20, 2006 By Michelle Krupa With U.S. Rep. William Jefferson defending his office under the specter of a federal bribery investigation, three of the race's top challengers used the first major public debate before the Nov. 7 primary to take alternating swipes Thursday at the incumbent's ethical credibility and his ability to provide for the flood-ravaged district. **SNIP** Carter launched the night's discussion with a line that has become bedrock in her campaign. "When the arrogance of power diminishes the rights of people like you and me and...

William Jefferson undeterred by allegationsIncumbent stresses years of effectiveness Wednesday, October 18, 2006 By Frank Donze For U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, the fall from grace has been dizzying. A decade ago, the New Orleans Democrat nearly secured the chairmanship of the Congressional Black Caucus, a front-and-center position on the national political stage as the public face of African-American lawmakers. Though he lost in a nail-biter, Democratic House leaders, recognizing his status, delivered a cushy consolation prize by restoring him to the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, a post he had lost two years earlier when Republicans took control of...

BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Democratic Party turned down eight-term U.S. Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) on Saturday and endorsed state Rep. Karen Carter, one of a dozen challengers who emerged after Jefferson became the target of a federal bribery investigation. The State Central Committee's 69-53 vote, at a special meeting to decide whom to endorse in Louisiana's open primaries Nov. 7, was the first time in recent memory that an incumbent had failed to win the state party's endorsement. All seven of the state's congressional seats are open. Jefferson denies the bribery allegations and has not...

Nigeria VP Charged With Corruption(AP) NEW YORK Nigeria's Vice President Atiku Abubakar was charged Tuesday at a special anti-graft court with more than a dozen counts of corruption stemming from the alleged diversion of $125 million of public funds to private interests. Charges filed by prosecutors before the Code of Conduct Tribunal in the Nigerian capital against Abubakar also include allegations he received more than $4.6 million in bribes. Abubakar, who is feuding with President Olusegun Obasanjo, has in the past dismissed the allegations as part of a plot to stop him from running for Nigeria's top office in April's...

Testimony links firm to Jefferson probe In papers filed with the FBI, Suleiman YahYah, a Nigerian businessman listed as a target in the ongoing probe of Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, said that one of the 2004 meetings he attended with Jefferson and iGate Inc. CEO Vernon Jackson, occurred in the Washington offices of Worldspace Inc., an international satellite radio provider. YahYah's statement is the first to provide any kind of link between iGate and Worldspace, whose CEO, Noah Samara, said in a June filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that he turned over documents and gave testimony to...

Friction rises in Nigerian governmentJefferson case contributing to the tension Thursday, October 05, 2006 By Bruce Alpert WASHINGTON -- Imagine that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were accusing each other of improprieties so bad that they called for impeachment proceedings. That bizarre scenario is akin to what is playing out in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, as President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku Abubakar engage in a monumental political battle that got its impetus, at least in part, from the lengthy U.S. Justice Department probe of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans. There is concern within Nigeria...

Groups, daughter endorse JeffersonBy JANET MCCONNAUGHEY Associated Press writer Published: Oct 3, 2006 U.S. Rep. William Jefferson delivers brief remarks Monday after receiving endorsements at his campaign headquarters in New Orleans. Jefferson, an eight-term congressman, has endorsements including more than a dozen political groups, including the Democratic Executive Committees of both Orleans and Jefferson parishes, 18 ministers, and 19 labor organizations, including the state AFL-CIO. Associated Press photo by BILL HABER NEW ORLEANS — U.S. Rep. William Jefferson’s initial endorsements this year are led by his daughter and five other state legislators, a former legislator and one of the city’s...

Timing in case against Jefferson trickyElection may affect when feds tip hand Sunday, September 24, 2006 By Bruce Alpert WASHINGTON -- With the selection last week of a technology expert to copy documents from computer hard drives taken from Rep. William Jefferson's office, the Justice Department might soon have the material it says it needs to wrap up its 18-month investigation of the New Orleans Democrat. That could leave the agency with a dilemma: Should the department decide whether to seek an indictment of Jefferson before the Nov. 7 primary or wait until after the race is decided? **SNIP** "The...

'Cold cash' congressman facing challenge for seat8 other Dems on ballot seeking seat held by Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson Posted: September 23, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La.M The fallout from an FBI investigation into allegations of bribery – and the $90,000 in cash allegedly recovered from his freezer – apparently has U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-Louisiana, battling for his political future. Not only are there about a dozen challengers vying for his seat, which he's held since the early 1990s, but three of the state's former top Democrats have endorsed his chief opponent,...

September 22, 2006 Chavez stirs Cape political waters By DAVID SCHOETZ STAFF WRITER Of the 435 members of Congress, the Cape's representative is known for having one of the closest relationships with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez - for better or worse. As critics took turns yesterday ripping Chavez for calling President George W. Bush ''the devil'' on the floor of the U.N. General Assembly, U.S. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., a self-described friend of the outspoken leftist South American leader, joined the chorus. ''It was entirely unacceptable,'' Delahunt said. ''This would have been an opportunity to begin to repair the relationship...

U.S. Probe Roils Nigeria PoliticsBy DULUE MBACHU LAGOS, Nigeria - A corruption investigation in Washington has roiled Nigeria, leaving the top two leaders publicly trading allegations and nudging a politically volatile country closer to the brink. Nigeria's president claims his estranged vice president is implicated in the bribery case against a U.S. legislator, and the vice president has responded with damaging allegations of his own against the president. The very public feuding in a country where politics often erupts into violence is particularly disturbing for Nigerians because presidential elections in which the vice president is expected to run are just...

Nigeria: Presidency - Obasanjo Did Not Authorise Diversion of FundsThis Day (Lagos) Posted to the web September 15, 2006 Kola Ologbondiyan Lagos The Presidency yesterday reacted to Vice President Atiku Abubakar's claim that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as well as organisations where President Olusegun Obasanjo has interests benefited from the controversial MOFAS Account at the Abuja branch of defunct Trans International Bank (TIB). Besides, it said, the President did not authorise diversion of public funds to any individual or organisation. "Obasanjo has never directed or forced any individual or organization to make donations to any of the many associations...

Nigeria: He Abused His Office - ObjDaily Champion (Lagos) September 13, 2006 Posted to the web September 13, 2006 David Idonor Abuja PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday rose in stout defence of his decision to send the report of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which investigated Vice President Atiku Abubakar to the National Assembly, insisting that the V-P abused his office. In a press statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, Obasanjo advised Atiku to "address pertinent issues at hand, rather than alleging it was a case of political persecution". The...

Ky. businessman gets 7 years for bribe to JeffersonBy MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press Writer A Kentucky telecommunications executive who admitted paying more than $400,000 in bribes to Rep. William Jefferson was sentenced Friday to more than seven years in prison. Vernon Jackson, 54, of Louisville, is a key figure in the federal investigation of Jefferson, D-La., who has not been charged. But in court papers, prosecutors have alleged that they caught Jefferson on videotape taking a $100,000 cash bribe. Most of that money later turned up in a freezer in Jefferson's home. Jefferson was never mentioned by name in Friday's...

ON THE HILLNews from the Louisiana delegation in the nation's capital Sunday, September 03, 2006 By Bruce Alpert and Bill Walsh Waiting on warrant protocol The Justice Department doesn't plan to issue guidelines for executing criminal search warrants on congressional offices until after the legal wrangling with Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, is over, a top official said last week. "What is decided there (in the case) might be informative for us," Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty said in a brief interview. **SNIP** Jefferson leads pack in postal privileges Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, leads the Louisiana delegation in sending...

Jefferson case informant files complaint with policeShe says odd 'things' occurred after FBI tip Tuesday, August 29, 2006 By Bruce Alpert WASHINGTON -- A Virginia woman told police that "things have been happening" since she went to the FBI 17 months ago with a complaint that led to the continuing corruption probe against Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans. Lori Mody, who wore a hidden microphone to tape conversations with Jefferson, said in her July 24 complaint to the Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department that the toilet in a McLean, Va., home she is getting ready to sell broke between July...

In New Orleans, allegations don't inter embattled congressmanBy CAIN BURDEAU Associated Press Writer August 21. 2006 1:57AM NEW ORLEANS - Olga Richard doesn't buy into the accusations swirling around her beleaguered congressman - William Jefferson. She doesn't want to see Louisiana's first black U.S. representative since Reconstruction crash to the ground like a battered pinata. "He's being made an example of," Richard said. "I want him to succeed not only for African-Americans but for New Orleans and my community." And although Jefferson, D-La., is the subject of a federal investigation into alleged illegal dealings involving an African telecommunications deal, political...

Friends of embattled Mel Gibson have leapt vigorously to Gibson's defense, but none with more vehemence than comedian Jackie Mason, who heaped scorn on Gibson's detractors. Proclaiming that Gibson has been "a mecca of decency all of his life," an angry Mason stormed that the actor and producer of "The Passion of the Christ" has "never offended a Jew in his life personally, " and lambasted some of Gibson's most vehement critics. Appearing Friday on Neil Cavuto's Fox News show, "Your World," Mason said: "How a guy lived for 50 years is what should count, not one remark when you're...

The documents seized in the FBI raid on the offices of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) remain unread by Justice Department investigators, pending a federal Appeals Court ruling scheduled for August 27. [snip] But we already know a bit about the charges and some of the alleged partners of Congressman Jefferson. Two people have pleaded guilty to bribing him.

In an attempt to persuade more people to vote, the state of Arizona is organising an election day lottery. One lucky voter will receive $1,000,000. Wow! What an idea! In 2004 roughly two million people voted in Arizona. While a one in two million chance of winning is admittedly rather better than most lotteries, it is still a pretty paltry chance. So who will be persuaded to turn out to vote because of this offer? Who will those extra voters be? For a one in two million chance of winning one million dollars to be a good bet, you have...

Justice seeks end to delays in review of documents seized in raid WASHINGTON The Justice Department today opposed further delays in the bribery investigation of Representative William Jefferson, saying the agency should be allowed to review documents seized in a search of the congressman's office. On Monday, Chief U-S District Judge Thomas F. Hogan rejected requests from Jefferson and fellow lawmakers seeking the return of the material from the May raid on Capitol Hill. Jefferson is now seeking to delay the judge's ruling while he appeals. Hogan dismissed arguments by Jefferson and a bipartisan group of House leaders that the...

Jack Anderson Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, Wednesday, August 6, 1980Excerpts "I want to deal with you guys awhile before I make any transactions at all, period," he told them, "After we've done some business, well, then I might change my mind." Still, he wanted them to understand that he was the best man in Congress the sheik could acquire "I'm going to tell you this, if anybody can do it, I'm not BS-ing you fellows, I can get it done my way," he boasted "There's no question about it." "All at once," he said, "some dumb (expletive deleted) would go start talking...

What is on the rest of Congressman Jack Murtha's now infamous FBI tape? Much more than the available video reveals. Thanks to the diligent efforts of conservative media and blogs in January and February of this year, many readers now know or remember that Congressman Murtha was an unindicted co-conspirator in the "Abscam" investigation of the late 1970s and 1980. (I wondered where the mainstream media's outrage was over Murtha's murky lobbyist relationships, besides the L.A. Times's lone, forgotten piece on the subject.) In recent weeks, Murtha's Abscam past has enjoyed renewed attention in the higher echelons of conservative media,...

Papers from Jefferson office raid in limboBy MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer 15 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Prosecutors and investigators building a bribery case against Rep. William Jefferson have been unable to examine the documents and computer files seized in a search of the lawmaker's Capitol Hill office. The materials were placed off limits by President Bush for 45 days, a cooling-off period that ended Sunday. Yet there has been no resolution of the court fight or talks between congressional leaders and the Justice Department. The president acted after congressional leaders denounced the FBI's search on May 20 and May...

Jefferson hires crisis-seasoned PR aideCongressman target in corruption probe Friday, July 07, 2006 By Bruce Alpert Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La., points to a map as he talks with Congressman William Jefferson at a presentation during a briefing on the levee system in Southern Louisiana in New Orleans, Thursday, July 6, 2006. The briefing covered the state of current levee reconstruction and what actions need to be implemented in the future to ensure South Louisiana residents are safe from the flooding associated with hurricanes. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, the target of a high-profile public corruption probe,...

Jefferson exit spurs new rulesBy Josephine Hearn Several House Democrats have proposed significant changes to their party’s caucus rules, with at least two of the changes prompted by internal caucus controversy over the recent ouster of a caucus member from the Ways and Means Committee. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) has written a proposal to handle situations in which leaders may seek to revoke a lawmaker’s committee assignment while he or she faces government investigation. Butterfield and others were upset that Democratic leaders ousted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) from the committee while he faces a federal corruption probe. The proposal would...

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales faced a judge and a packed courtroom for the first time Monday, but he saved his first public defense against felony bribery and fraud charges in a garbage contract scandal for a friendlier environment: a press conference surrounded by supporters at City Hall. The embattled mayor postponed entering a plea in a brief arraignment before Santa Clara County Judge Rene Navarro, and made a hasty exit into the glare of dozens of cameras, holding hands with his wife. About an hour later, he was back at City Hall, vowing to remain in office and declaring...

Scandal Woes Could Benefit Jefferson, Analysts SayRandy Hall Staff Writer/Editor (CNSNews.com) - Losing his seat on the influential Ways and Means Committee and being investigated in a federal bribery probe could actually benefit U.S. Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), political analysts told Cybercast News Service. "Oftentimes, being an embattled Louisiana politician can actually be a benefit," said Pearson Cross, assistant professor of political science at the University of Louisiana Lafayette. "If anything, I think voters in the state's 2nd District are going to see him as 'put upon,' that he was unfairly stripped, and I'm certain he's going to spin it...

Firm lent Jefferson at least $50,000Business pressed FCC to launch satellite Thursday, June 15, 2006 By Bill Walsh and Bruce Alpert - Washington bureau WASHINGTON -- Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, who is at the center of a federal criminal bribery probe, received a personal loan from a satellite radio executive who has had business before the federal government, financial records released Wednesday show. Noah Samara, CEO of WorldSpace Inc., loaned Jefferson between $50,001 and $100,000, according to Jefferson's financial disclosure form for 2005. The date of the loan is not given, but Samara's company was pressing the Federal Communications...

EXCLUSIVE - Mistress turns in corrupt China vice admiral-sources BEIJING (Reuters) - One of China's top brass has been charged with accepting millions of dollars in bribes from contractors after one of his mistresses blew the whistle, independent sources with ties to the military said on Wednesday. If found guilty, Vice Admiral Wang Shouye, 63, one of five navy deputy commanders and a member of China's parliament, would be the most senior People's Liberation Army (PLA) officer ever convicted of a crime. "Wang Shouye kept several mistresses. One of them reported him to the authorities" after he refused to give...

Jefferson To Meet With Congressional LawmakersUPDATED: 3:20 pm CDT June 7, 2006 WASHINGTON -- A spokeswoman for Rep. William Jefferson said he will attend a meeting with congressional lawmakers. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asked Jefferson to appear before the Democratic Steering Committee on Wednesday afternoon. The committee, which is charged with determining panel assignments, could vote to oust Jefferson from the powerful House Ways and Means Committee while he is under investigation. According to court documents, U.S. Rep. William Jefferson told an FBI informant, that Nigeria's vice president sought up to $500,000 and a stake in a technology venture...