Jurors thought ex-Congressman William (FELON, LA) Jefferson's transgression was more than bribery

NOLA ^ | 4/20/10 | Stephanie Grace

[Libloather]

Jurors thought ex-Congressman William Jefferson's transgression was more than bribery: Stephanie Grace
By Stephanie Grace, The Times-Picayune
April 20, 2010, 7:40AM

Almost as soon as a Virginia jury delivered a split verdict on the federal case against U.S. Rep. William Jefferson last summer, an irony emerged: Jurors may have convicted Jefferson on 11 of 16 counts, but they acquitted him on the one charge stemming from the investigation's singularly memorable detail, the $90,000 cash that the feds had found stuffed into Boca Burger and Pillsbury Pie Crust boxes in Jefferson's Washington freezer.

Interviews with several jurors in the months since the trial revealed a new wrinkle that's just as ironic.

Jefferson had promised his constituents an "honorable explanation" for the money, a vow that spawned as many punchlines as the cash itself, and which Jefferson's own attorney labeled a "toxic fact" that torpedoed the longtime lawmaker's career and reputation.

Still, jurors acquitted Jefferson of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act not because they believed such an explanation existed, but for precisely the opposite reason. According to several panel members who agreed to be interviewed, two jurors believed Jefferson's behavior was actually less honorable than the prosecutors claimed it was, not more so.

The feds claimed that Jefferson accepted a briefcase full of marked bills from investor and cooperating witness Lori Mody -- on FBI videotape, it turned out -- with the intention of bribing Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar to help land a telecom deal in his country. Prosecutors said the bribe was never consummated because the FBI raided Jefferson's homes in Washington and New Orleans beforehand, but that the intent was clear from other evidence.

[Libloather]

The 11-time felon still isn't behind bars.

Late paperwork may delay Jefferson appeal
It might be a good while before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hears former New Orleans Congressman William Jefferson's appeal of the guilty verdicts returned last summer by an Alexandria, Va., jury. Before briefs from both sides can be requested and before oral arguments can be scheduled, the appellate court must get transcripts of the trial, which began June 16 and continued through August. Through the transcripts (estimated at 7,500 pages) were due in March, most have yet to be delivered. What raises concern is that the court reporter, Michael Rodriquez, was more than a year late delivering all the transcripts for the appeal of a 2007 death penalty case. He was sanctioned by the 4th Circuit, with 10 percent reductions in his fee. Jefferson, 62, who was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of 11 of 16 corruption charges, remains free, pending the completion of his appeal.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/washington/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1272782576275390.xml&coll=1

William Jefferson jurors say the mundane, not sensational, evidence convinced them of his guilt

[Liz]

Jefferson promised his constituents an "honorable explanation" for the $90,000 cash found stuffed into Boca Burger and Pillsbury Pie Crust boxes in Jefferson's Washington freezer.

Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., makes a statement at Washington's National Airport on his way to Switzerland. (AP Photo)

" This is racism---pure and simple. I am totally
innocent. As a compassionate and tolerant Democrat,
I was just helping out a distinguished foreign dignitary."

"I got an email from Nigerian Gen Kachinga Cheatchusuckah. He had a problem."

" Now, as soon as Gen Cheatchusuckah transfers Idi Amin's
secret Ugandan gold reserves from a Swiss bank vault to a
refrigerated truck I leased............."