Jefferson 'cold cash' blamed on FBI sting

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By Kristi Jourdan THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The attorney for William J. Jefferson tackled the "elephant in the room" in opening statements Tuesday, explaining the notorious $90,000 "cold cash" discovered in the former congressman's freezer as an FBI setup bid. Prosecutors, for their part, painted a portrait of a debt-ridden man selling out the public good.

In his opening speech in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Jefferson attorney Robert Trout addressed the best-known detail in the case - the marked bills found by federal agents in Mr. Jefferson's freezer wrapped inside Pillsbury Pie Crust boxes. He described the money as the trial's "elephant in the room."

He said Mr. Jefferson did not commit bribery because he never passed on the money to its intended recipient - then-Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar - and he accused a Jefferson business partner, who will not be testifying during the trial, of setting up the Louisiana Democrat.

FBI agents "set out to bag a congressman," Mr. Trout said, claiming the government "wrote the script and directed the action" while finding witnesses to fill the cast and placing Northern Virginia businesswoman Lori Mody in a starring role.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lytle claimed that at the time Mr. Jefferson and his wife, Andrea, owed more than $100,000 - $62,000 in credit card debts and $40,000 in bounced-check fees and other banking-related penalties. This might have motivated the nine-term congressman, who lost his re-election bid last year, to seek bribes, the prosecution argued.

"This case is about ... one of our government's most powerful officials using his public office for private gain repeatedly," Mr. Lytle said.

Mr. Jefferson, who represented parts of New Orleans, faces 16 counts of soliciting bribes, money laundering, racketeering and other crimes.

Tuesday's opening speeches detailed the first bribery case against a current or former member of Congress since the 2002 trial of Rep. James Traficant, Ohio Democrat. Other politicians accused of bribery since, including Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, California Republican, have pleaded guilty to avoid trials.

Ms. Mody broke open the investigation and is at the center of the defense case. According to court filings, she gave Mr. Jefferson a suitcase stuffed with $100,000 in cash in July 2005, in hopes he would bring it to Nigerian officials as payment for steering business to Ms. Mody.

She approached federal agents after suspecting Mr. Jefferson was ripping her off in some joint business deals, a fact that led Mr. Trout to paint her as a disgruntled and unreliable witness.