Businessman Gets 7 Years for Jefferson BriberyWe seem to begin a number of our posts about Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) with phrases like “[his] case just got even uglier” and “This does not bode well for [him].” Oh well, here’s another.
In another bad omen of Rep. Jefferson’s fate, businessman Vernon Jackson was sentenced (sub. req.) to seven years in prison Friday on bribery charges. If this is the penalty for someone who pleads guilty and cooperates with prosecutors, what can Jefferson, who’s refused to admit wrongdoing, expect?
Despite Jackson’s cooperation, the judge was not moved to mercy, calling “public corruption” the “worst kind of a virulent and malignant cancer.” He said pretty much the same thing when he sentenced Brett Pfeffer, another conspirator in the Jefferson case, to eight years in prison.
Jefferson, remember, is cruising to indictment on a slew of bribery-related charges including bribery and bribery of a foreign official. Jackson’s sentence is just another sign that should Jefferson be convicted, he’ll most likely shatter the record for longest sentence given a congressman, currently held by Duke Cunningham (8 years, 4 months).
Jackson admitted to funneling more than $400,000 to the congressman through a company owned by Jefferson’s wife and children. In return, Jefferson allegedly helped Jackson “obtain telecommunications contracts from the U.S. Army and several African nations, including Nigeria and Ghana,” according to Roll Call.
Update: I have to add that Jackson had apparently intended to retire from the telecom business and join the ministry before he got tangled up in a federal bribery investigation.
