William Jefferson

William Jefferson is a United States Representative from the state of Louisiana.

On August 5, 2009, Jefferson was found guilty of 11 charges of federal bribery, soliciting bribes, money laundering, wire fraud and conspiracy. The most serious charge is a RICO charge, also known as racketeering, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years. Sentencing will be handed down on October 30.

Jefferson's trial for 16 counts of corruption, for allegedly taking bribes, began in June of 2009. The prosecution claims that Jefferson and his wife "chose corruption" after accumulating personal debts. Police found $90,000 in Jefferson's freezer, which prosecutors allege Jefferson was planning to pay to the President of Nigeria as part of a money-laundering scheme.http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/prosecutor_says_former_rep_wil.html

Jefferson earned a law degree from Harvard and a degree in taxation from Georgetown before working as a clerk and later a private practice lawyer. In 1976, Jefferson was elected to the Louisiana Senate.

Jefferson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Louisiana's 2nd district in 1990. In 2005, a corruption investigation began, alleging that Jefferson had accepted bribes in exchange for convincing the U.S. Army to try out a company's products. Later, a raid on his home found $90,000 in cash hidden in Jefferson's freezer.