Jury sees photos of cash in William Jefferson's freezer(pictures)

The Times-Picayune ^ | July 08, 2009 | Jonathan Tilove and Bruce Alpert

[BBell]

ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- The lead FBI agent in the investigation of former Rep. William Jefferson denied Wednesday that he had instructed cooperating witness Lori Mody to play on Jefferson's emotions, get him drunk, and lure him into taking a bigger share of her company.

"That's not on her, that's on him, " special agent Timothy Thibault said, explaining that Jefferson continued to escalate his demands for a piece of Mody's business even when he wasn't under the influence of her wiles and wine.

In its redirect, the prosecution played a videotape from the four-hour, $1,023 dinner Mody and Jefferson shared at Galileo, a fancy Italian restaurant in Washington, D.C., on May 12, 2005, to show that it was Jefferson, not Mody, who was questioning the wait staff about the wine choices, and ordering a 1997 vintage.

Thibault was asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebeca Bellows how old he thought Jefferson was at the time of the dinner. Thibault replied that he figured Jefferson to have been in his early 60s.

"Old enough, " said Bellows, to decide whether or not to imbibe. Jefferson is now 62.

Food packaging reused

The day ended with the jury being shown photos of the $90,000 in marked money the FBI found about a half hour into their search of Jefferson's Washington, D.C., residence on Aug. 3, 2005. The money, in $10,000 stacks of hundred-dollar bills, was wrapped in tinfoil and stuffed into Boca meatless burger and Pillsbury frozen pie crust boxes, and Yes! Organic Market bags.

The bills represented the lion's share of the money that Mody had delivered to Jefferson on July 30, 2005, and which the FBI had expected Jefferson to use to bribe Atiku Abubakar, then vice president of Nigeria.

According to Thibault's testimony, Jefferson was not continuously under surveillance after receiving

[tioga]

nothing to see here......that’s just jefferson’s piece of the PIE......move along now......

[BBell]

There are some very nice parts of New Orleans. Unfortunately these areas are unaffordable to a regular cop. There are also some very good schools in NOLA, but they are expensive (private).

[rlmorel]

I feel bad for people who have lived there for their entire lives, and it must seem to many that madness has descended on the place.

And it wasn’t just a hurricane.

[BBell]

East New Orleans used to be very nice with good schools and all. Then came section eight and it spread out like cancer. The 70’s and 80’s witnessed an exodus to the surrounding community's of mainly white people. I live on the North Shore and I can't count how many people I know who were born and raised in New Orleans but left 20 or so years ago and will never go back.

[JSteff]

“Cold, hard cash. He’s going down.”

He is black and a democrat, what do you really expect will be the most likely outcome?

Heck this is only trial #1. Think, Marion Barry and O.J. got through their first trials Scott free so......

[Joe Boucher]

If I recall correctly, Bush’s attorney general argued that this should be thrown out as the f.b.i. search of this Congress persons home was illegal due to separation of the three branches of govt?

Where is the difference in the two parties?
They both are BAD.

[rock_lobsta]

Vacuum bags would have kept them fresher.