Nine-term Democrat representing Louisiana in the U.S. House of Representatives William Jefferson was found guilty in 2009 of 11 of 16 charges against him.
Jeferson, an African-American Harvard Law School graduate, was convicted of bribery, money laundering, racketeering and wire fraud.
Most damning of all was the FBI's having found $90,000 in marked bills wrapped in foil, concealed in frozen food boxes and stashed in the congressman's office freezer. That's a lot of cold cash, and its journey's beginning was videotaped by the FBI, as well. The search warrant that allowed this 2006 revelation is thought to have been the first FBI raid of a U.S. congressman's office. One hopes it is not the last.
Jefferson denied any guilt, has not yet been sentenced, and vows to appeal his conviction. Even so, he lost his House seat in 2008 to Republican Anh Cao. Jefferson and his wife filed for Chaper 7 bankruptcy protection in 2009.
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