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A badly burned body found on the floor of a River North parking garage early Tuesday has been identified as a 60-year-old real estate attorney, officials said. Louis S. Cohen, 60, was of the 200 block of Ivy Lane in Highland Park, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Wednesday was pending and did not determine a cause and manner for Cohen’s death, the office said. Just before 6 a.m. Tuesday, police and fire crews responded to a fire in the 11th floor of a parking garage in the 300 block of North LaSalle Drive and found...

Jefferson trial venue questions renewedLatest request cites Supreme Court case Wednesday, May 07, 2008 By Bruce Alpert WASHINGTON -- Attorneys for Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, asked a federal judge Tuesday to reconsider his ruling against a change of venue in the corruption case against the congressman. They had argued that the case should be tried in Washington, D.C., and that the government chose suburban Virginia because there is a smaller pool of African-American jurors to consider the charges against Jefferson, who is black. Their latest request to Virginia District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III was based in part on...

Jefferson attorneys oppose witness in corruption trialRetired judge would sway jury, they say Wednesday, December 12, 2007 By Bill Walsh WASHINGTON -- Attorneys for Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, are trying to block a former Democratic congressman who also served as a judge from testifying at Jefferson's public corruption trial. The defense team filed papers in federal court Tuesday seeking to keep Abner Mikva off the witness stand, saying his service as an appellate court judge would unduly influence the jury. "The government refers to him as " 'Judge Mikva' no less than six times," attorney Robert Trout protested in...

Jefferson tries to get case thrown outBy: John Bresnahan Nov 12, 2007 07:35 PM EST Jefferson has been indicted on a litany of federal charges, including bribery. Photo: AP Who says lawyers aren’t creative? Attorneys for indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) are citing new Senate legislation designed to make it easier to prosecute corrupt pols as a reason to throw out parts of the bribery and corruption case against the lawmaker. Jefferson has been indicted on a litany of federal charges, including bribery, in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va. His trial is set to start in mid-January, but...

Officials seek delay in Jefferson lawsuit The U.S. Justice Department asked a Kentucky judge last week to delay pretrial discovery in a civil suit brought by a stockholder in iGate Inc. against the company's CEO, Vernon Jackson; Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans; and the congressman's wife, Andrea. The lawsuit seeks damages for what plaintiff Daniel Cradle says were illegal actions by the three defendants that wiped out almost all the value of Cradle's iGate stock holdings. The government has indicted Jefferson, accusing him of obtaining payments and stock from Jackson, funneled through a New Orleans company headed by Andrea Jefferson,...

Jefferson attorneys request to use names Attorneys for Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, are asking Virginia District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III to give them permission to refer to the real names of business executives and Nigerian leaders alluded to in the Justice Department's 16-count indictment of the congressman by pseudonyms such as "Businessperson A," "Businessperson DEF," "Nigerian Official A" and other similar references. Many of the names have already been deciphered through a government list of unindicted co-conspirators and there's no longer any reason for secrecy because the grand jury investigating the congressman has returned its indictment, Jefferson's attorneys...

Grand Jury Indicts Woman Linked To ShepherdUPDATED: 12:27 pm CDT October 25, 2007 NEW ORLEANS -- A federal grand jury handed down a 15-count indictment Thursday against a New Orleans woman who has been linked in court testimony to a state senator from Marrero. Gwendolyn Joseph Moyo is the only person named in the indictment. All 15 counts accuse her of selling insurance after being convicted of a felony. On Monday, an FBI agent testified that state Sen. Derrick Shepherd helped Moyo launder nearly $141,000 in bogus construction bond fees, and kept almost half the money. Shepherd, a Democrat, was...

Debt dogs JeffersonFundraising flow reduced to a drip Wednesday, October 17, 2007 By Bill Walsh WASHINGTON -- In addition to a federal indictment hanging over his head, Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, continues to carry a heavy campaign debt, records show. Through Sept. 30, Jefferson's campaign had $260,452 in credit card debt, bank loans and personal loans the congressman made last year to underwrite his re-election victory. Even before his June indictment on 16 counts of bribery-related charges stemming from business ventures in West Africa, Jefferson was having difficulty raising money. It has only gotten harder. Campaign finance reports for...

Hold it: How long can a man wait?Bathroom break is part of Jefferson case Wednesday, October 10, 2007 By Bruce Alpert WASHINGTON -- In a case already fraught with precedent-setting legal questions, attorneys for Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, are seeking perhaps another first in judicial opinions. Is it reasonable, the lawyers ask a federal judge, to believe that a 58-year-old man could wait more than two hours after awakening in the morning before taking a bathroom break? The issue is raised in motions intended to cast doubt on the Justice Department's contention that FBI agents did not restrict Jefferson's...

Firm tangled in Jefferson case received $450,000By Kevin Bogardus and Susan Crabtree October 04, 2007 A company whose executives have been named by federal prosecutors as co-conspirators in the indictment of Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) was awarded a $450,000 grant from a government agency that the congressman allegedly influenced, according to public records. Federal prosecutors have named top executives of the Louisiana-based company, TDC Overseas Limited, as conspirators in the lawmaker’s alleged bribery scheme involving business projects in Nigeria. The Department of Justice (DoJ) indicted Jefferson on 16 counts of bribery and corruption in early June. He pleaded not guilty,...

Feds deny Jefferson was made to talkFBI agents say he was clothed, free to end interview at his home Saturday, September 29, 2007 By Bruce Alpert WASHINGTON -- Asking a judge to reject U.S. Rep. William Jefferson's motion to suppress what federal prosecutors say were "incriminating" statements he made during a 2005 interview at his New Orleans home, the government Friday denied the nine-term congressman's contention that he was effectively kept captive in his residence and said he voluntarily agreed to answer questions. The government's motion said Jefferson was visibly dejected after being shown a DVD recording of him taking...

Unindicted 'co-conspirators' namedJefferson's brother, wife are among 11 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 By Bruce Alpert WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Justice Department has named 11 unindicted "co-conspirators" in the case against Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, including the congressman's wife and brother and the former vice president of Nigeria. The information is contained in a letter from prosecutor Mark Lytle to Jefferson's attorney, Robert Trout. The letter was made public last week when attorneys for Jefferson included the letter as one of the exhibits attached to motions asking Virginia federal Judge T.S. Ellis III to drop 14 of the 16 criminal...

Jefferson asks judge to toss 14 chargesAnd he wants trial moved to Washington Saturday, September 08, 2007 By Bruce Alpert WASHINGTON -- Accusing the Bush Justice Department of mounting a bogus bribery case and employing race-based tactics, attorneys for Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, asked a federal judge Friday to throw out 14 of the 16 charges against the nine-term congressman and to move his trial to Washington, D.C., from northern Virginia. **SNIP** Legal scholars said some of the motions have a chance to prevail. In the most provocative challenge, lead attorney Robert Trout accused the government of choreographing events,...

Jefferson faces civil suit tied to alleged bribes Big Media Story

NAACP Leader Resigns From Jefferson GroupNew Orleans Congressman Indicted On Federal Charges UPDATED: 12:35 pm CDT June 21, 2007 NEW ORLEANS -- The president of the local NAACP is stepping down from the Justice for Jefferson Committee. Danatus King said his professional, civic and personal obligations don't give him enough time to be an effective member of the group, which supports indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson. King said he continues to stand behind the effort to ensure that Jefferson receives a fair trial. Jefferson was indicted in early June on 16 federal charges, including money laundering and racketeering.

Nigeria: Jefferson/Atiku - Where Does Facilitation End And Bribery Begin?This Day (Lagos) COLUMN 18 June 2007 Posted to the web 19 June 2007 Ayuli Jemide Lagos The recent bribery allegation involving United States Congressman Jefferson and Nigeria's former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku, brings to the fore the mine fields that any transactional lawyer may have to navigate in acting as a midwife for a foreign investment type transaction or acting for a multinational under a strict anti-corruption regiment. How serious is the global village about bribery in the market place? The United States Federal Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") 1977 has...

Jefferson deals all in the family, feds sayBrother always gets a cut, indictment says Saturday, June 16, 2007 By Bill Walsh WASHINGTON -- Throughout a 94-page federal indictment, prosecutors repeatedly describe scenes of Rep. William Jefferson telling business executives that there is an important condition to be met before he would use his influence on their behalf: A certain family member would have to be compensated with cash, contracts or a stake in the business. And he played hardball, according to the government. While pushing an oil deal in Nigeria in 2002, Jefferson is said to have complained that the...

Analysts: Jefferson family members could be used in deal attempt05:53 PM CDT on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 WWLTV.com Congressman William Jefferson (D-La) The 94-page indictment against Congressman William Jefferson refers to his wife, daughters and two brothers only as family members, but the indictment contends that at least two of them played major roles in the scheme the government describes. A few legal analysts who talked to Eyewitness News have raised the possibility that the threat of legal action against the family members could be used in an attempt to compel Jefferson into a plea bargain. “There’s no doubt that...

Fraud lawsuit filed against Kentucky firmCEO pleaded guilty in Jefferson probe Wednesday, February 14, 2007 By Bruce Alpert WASHINGTON -- Rep. William Jefferson, his wife, Andrea, and the CEO of Kentucky technology firm iGate Inc. defrauded investors by using company money for illegal activities, including the payment of bribes that put the company out of business, according to a lawsuit filed by a stockholder. **SNIP** Vernon Jackson, the CEO of iGate Inc., who has pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official and says he made payments of $367,500 to bank accounts controlled by Jefferson family members, did not immediately...

Politics reigns at D.C. Mardi GrasBy Bruce Alpert and Bill Walsh Sunday, February 11, 2007 A sizable segment of the Louisiana political establishment is at the Washington Hilton this weekend for the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians' annual Mardi Gras celebration. **SNIP** Silence on Katrina still drawing notice At the House Democratic retreat on Feb. 4, President Bush was asked by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., why he didn't mention Hurricane Katrina in his State of the Union speech. Bush replied, according to Thompson's Chief of Staff Lanier Avant, that he didn't say anything about the national parks either, even though he...