Leave to fawning Crew of 42 to defend now-former Rep. William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson like he’s some kinda victim of The Man. This guy has done next to nothing for his beleaguered constituents in New Orleans post-Katrina. He’s not a leader and never was. Just a two-bit greasy crook who got caught with $90K hidden in foil-wrapped  frozen pie crust boxes in his freezer. A federal jury convicted him yesterday on 11 of 16 counts, including bribery, racketeering and money laundering, as deserved. Yet he’s still receiving special treatment, it seems.

Thuglife, anyone? Maybe now the CBC will finally kick this guy to the curb. NOLA needs real advocacy on the Hill now as much as ever. I hope this clears a path. Here’s the deets:

Former Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat who had represented parts of New Orleans, was accused of accepting more than $400,000 in bribes and seeking millions more in exchange for brokering business deals in Africa. A federal jury convicted him on 11 of 16 counts, including bribery, racketeering and money laundering.

[…]

Jefferson was acquitted of counts that included obstruction of justice and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He was the first official to be charged with violating that act, which makes it illegal to bribe foreign government officials.

The defense argued that Jefferson was acting as a private business consultant in brokering the deals and that his actions did not constitute bribery under federal law.

It took jurors five days to reach a decision after an eight-week trial that was mostly government testimony. The defense wrapped up its case in a matter of hours.

Prosecutor Mark Lytle said Jefferson could face more than 20 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. He wanted the 62-year-old former congressman detained immediately after the verdict, saying his ties to Africa made him a risk to flee what could amount to a life prison sentence. […]

However, Judge T.S. Ellis III allowed Jefferson to remain free on bond because of his local ties.

U.S. Attorney Dana Boente said after the verdict that “no person, not even a congressman, is above the law. Ninety thousand dollars in a freezer is not a gray area. It’s a violation.”

Dolla dolla bill, y’all.

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