Jury Indicts Jefferson In Bribery Probe

Rep. William Jefferson (D-Louisiana), was indicted today on federal charges of racketeering, soliciting bribes and money-laundering in a long-running bribery investigation into business deals he tried to broker in Africa. The moderate-liberal Democrat is accused of soliciting bribes for himself and his family, and also for bribing a Nigerian official. Almost two years ago, investigators raided Rep. Jefferson's home in Louisiana and found $90,000 in cash stuffed into a box in his freezer after videotaping him taking a $100,000 cash bribe from an FBI informant.

Among the charges listed in the indictment, said the official, are racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money-laundering, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The indictment lists 16 alleged violations of federal law that could keep Rep. Jefferson in prison for up to 235 years.Rep. Jefferson, 63, whose Louisiana district includes New Orleans, has said little about the case publicly but has maintained his innocence. He was re-elected last year despite the looming investigation.

Two of Rep. Jefferson's associates have already struck plea bargains with prosecutors and have been sentenced to prison.In May 2006, the FBI raided Rep. Jefferson's congressional office, the first such raid on a sitting congressman's Capitol office. That move sparked a constitutional debate over whether the executive branch stepped over its boundary. House leaders objected to the search saying it was an unconstitutional intrusion on the lawmaking process.

The FBI said the raid was necessary because Rep. Jefferson and his legal team had failed to respond to requests for documents.The impact of the case has stretched across continents and even roiled presidential politics in Nigeria. According to court records, Rep. Jefferson told associates that he needed cash to pay bribes to the country's vice president, Atiku Abubakar. Mr. Abubakar denied the allegations, which figured prominently in that country's presidential elections in April. Mr. Abubakar ran for the presidency and finished third.