wmlro.com: William J Jefferson found guilty

When police raided the house of (then) Republican Congressman William J Jefferson in mid 2006 on suspicion that he was involved in corruption, what they didn't expect to find was USD90,000 - frozen solid in his domestic freezer.

He was accused that he solicited (not merely accepted) bribes to promote the business interests of his contacts, particularly those wanting to do business in Nigeria.

The investigation was already a year old when FBI agents raided his house. They had been alerted to what was considered unusual promotion of a company that was trying to gain access to a potentially lucrative market. The original report came from an investor who as told by Jefferson that he needed money to bribe a Nigerian. The US Attorney's Office says that Jefferson was deep into his activities including a "wide range of official acts in return for things of value." This included leading delegations to Africa and asking favours both in Africa and within Congress.

Quite where his benefits went, no one yet knows: he worked on telecoms deals in Ghana and Nigeria, Oil in Equatorial Guinea, Satellite comms in Botswana, the Republic of the Congo and, again, Equatorial Guinea as well as a range of deals in Nigeria.

Federal investigators asked the investor if he would help by meeting Jefferson and handing him the USD100,000 he said he needed to bribe the Nigerian, and by wearing a hidden microphone. The notes were all marked.

He took it. He has not said where the missing USD10,000 went when the balance was found, still neatly packed, in his freezer.

Today, the Court will decide whether he should forfeit a lump sum plus investments he holds. He will be sentenced in October.

But he was not convicted on all charges: he was acquitted on the all important charge under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act - that of bribing a foreign official - and that was the one that the money in the freezer related to.

He was convicted of bribery and money laundering as well as the usual filler-charges of racketeering and wire fraud.

Although "bang to rights," Jefferson was re-elected to his seat in 2006, losing it in an election in 2008.

Previous stories:

23 June 2006: US: Congressman Jefferson's assets frozen

5 June 2007: US: Jefferson charged with money laundering