Former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson, left, stands outside the Albert V. Bryan Courthouse with his wife, Andrea, after being convicted on 11 of 16 counts, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, in Alexandria, Va.

This conviction was a long time coming for this Louisiana Democrat.

Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana was convicted Wednesday on 11 of the 16 corruption charges against him in a case that included the discovery of $90,000 in his freezer.

A federal court jury convicted Jefferson on four bribery counts, three counts of money laundering, three counts of wire fraud and one count of racketeering. He was acquitted on five other counts including wire fraud and obstruction of justice.

Jefferson, a 62-year-old Democrat, was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 4, 2007, about two years after federal agents said they found the cash in his freezer. Authorities said the cash was part of a payment in marked bills from an FBI informant in a transaction captured on video.

Jefferson had pleaded not guilty. He faces a maximum possible sentence of 150 years in prison, with sentencing tentatively set for October 30.

After the verdict on the fifth day of jury deliberations, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis turned down a prosecution request for Jefferson to be taken into custody, ruling that he posed no flight risk.

The verdict showed that “no person, not even a congressman, is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Dana Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia. Asked what might have turned the case in the prosecution’s favor, Boente said: “We always thought that a powerful piece of evidence in this case was $90,000 in a freezer.”

A stern-faced Jefferson emerged from the courthouse with his lawyer, Robert Trout, who said the verdict would be appealed.

Jefferson can appeal but it looks to Flap that he is going to federal prison after almost four years of legal wrangling after the cash was found in Jefferson’s freezer.

Interestingly enough, Jefferson was acquitted on the charge involving the $90,000 in frozen cash that purportedly was to be delivered to the Vice President of Nigeria.

However, the Harvard Law School graduate and the first African American Congressman from Louisiana since Reconstruction will be spending his retirement days pondering the frozen cash and what ruin plus shame it brought him and his family.

Graphic courtesy of Flip

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The William Jefferson Archive

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Democrat Congressman William Jefferson and his wife, Dr. Andrea Green-Jefferson, right, acknowledge the crowd at his election night party after Jefferson beat runoff opponent Helena Moreno for the 2nd Congressional District seat he has held for nine terms in New Orleans, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008

Looks like Congressman Jefferson is finally going to receive his day in court on the 16 count federal indictment.

A federal appeals court has upheld bribery charges against U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, clearing the way for a trial.

The Louisiana Democrat sought to dismiss the indictment, claiming that his constitutional rights were violated when the grand jury received evidence that violated legislative immunity.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected Jefferson’s claims, ruling that prosecutors can pursue the case without making reference to constitutionally protected material.

A lower court judge previously refused to dismiss the indictment, saying Jefferson was trying to apply immunity so broadly that it would make it virtually impossible to ever charge a congressman with a crime.

Remember the flap?

Graphic courtesy of Flip

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Representative William Jefferson Watch: The Sap Keeps On Running

Representative William Jefferson Watch: Not a Good Day

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Rep. William Jefferson (D-La) leaves U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia after arraignment proceedings against him in Alexandria, Virginia June 8, 2007

Despite his indictment and the cash found in his freezer Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson is running for re-election.

Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, announced Tuesday that he will seek re-election to a 10th term even as he faces a Dec. 2 political corruption trial that he called an “overly zealous” prosecution based on “false factual allegations.”

A 16-count federal indictment filed in June 2007 “has not prevented my delivering for our district and our state,” Jefferson said in a statement announcing his candidacy.

“My family and I have sworn a great oath to trust God and to fight on to vindicate ourselves and our good name,” Jefferson said. “This we will do. And, in none of it, will I or they sacrifice our continued strong commitment and effective delivery of the things our people need to recover from the storm and from a bad economy.”

After details of the federal investigation of Jefferson became public after a raid of his congressional office in May 2006, House Democrats stripped him of his position on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

He remains without a committee assignment in the 110th Congress, despite his surprisingly easy victory in a December 2006 runoff against state Rep. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans.

Some political analysts think Jefferson will have a harder time winning re-election this year, given that since his indictment the congressman’s brother and political adviser, Mose Jefferson, and sister Betsy Jefferson, the Orleans Parish 4th District assessor, were indicted on charges they conspired to loot more than $600,000 in taxpayer money from three charities they established to help inner-city youths.

In another family scandal Representative William Jefferson’s younger sister, Brenda, today pled guilty in a charity scam.

Wow! What a family! They even steal from themselves.

Graphic courtesy of Flip

Democrat Representative William Jefferson, Louisiana

U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III has refused to dismiss bribery charges against Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.).

Jefferson is accused of orchestrating a complicated, and multi-layered scheme to receive bribes from companies seeking business in Western Africa. Proving bribery against a lawmaker is difficult because prosecutors must show that the defendant provided an “official act” such as a voting a certain way or sponsoring legislation in return for money or items he received. His lawyers argued that Jefferson didn’t do anything in his capacity as a congressman that could be considered a bribe.

U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III turned that legal theory on its head in his denial of the motion to dismiss, filed late last week. He ruled that bribery charges could be brought even if the activity in question doesn’t appear to fit into “responsibilities assigned by law.”

He said it is up to the jury to decide whether Jefferson’s promotion or advocacy of certain business projects to the politicians in the African countries and the travel associated with that are related to his duties as a congressman.

In his denial, Judge Ellis declared that the question of whether or not the government is able to prove its bribery case “is a question properly addressed at trial, not on a motion to dismiss an indictment.”

So, off to trial EVENTUALLY (there is another motion pending in the appellate court) Congressman William Jefferson goes – while maintaining his office for all of these many months.

But, now there are APPARENTLY further legal troubles on the horizon for Freezer Cash Bill.

Not a good day in the life of William Jefferson.

Michael Ramirez on William Jefferson

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Representative William Jefferson Watch: Federal Prosecutors Lay Out Their Case Against Jefferson