U.S. Congressman William Jefferson
(D-LA) speaks to reporters after arriving back at Reagan National Airport
in Washington May 22, 2006.(Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)
WASHINGTON, June 7
(Xinhua) -- A federal judge on Thursday ordered to freeze the assets of
Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana, who was indicted for soliciting
bribes worldwide.
The order issued Thursday by U.S. District Judge T.S.
Ellis IIIlists Jefferson's two savings accounts with a combined value of over
470,000 U.S. dollars, plus certain stock holdings.
The congressman, who has maintained his innocence, is
scheduled to be arraigned by a federal court on Friday.
On Tuesday night, the House of the Representatives
voted overwhelmingly to require the House ethics committee to set up an
investigative subcommittee to check Jefferson's dealings.
On Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the
second-highest ranked House Democrat, suggested it was time for Jefferson to
step down.
Hoyer said the indicted congressman's "effectiveness
is substantially impaired," and he should take that into consideration in his
decision on whether to remain in Congress.
House rules do not require Jefferson to step down
from his post at this point.
But if he were to be convicted and sentenced to
prison, he could be stripped of his voting privileges.
House members can be expelled by their fellow
lawmakers, but that action is taken only in extreme cases, and it has never been
taken against a House member who has not been convicted of a crime.
The charges against Jefferson were announced nearly
two years after federal agents reported finding 90,000 U.S. dollars in a freezer
in his Washington home.
The veteran New Orleans Democrat now faces 16
criminal counts with prison terms totaling as much as 235 years.
In addition to the racketeering and solicitation
charges, Jefferson has also been charged with money laundering, wire fraud,
conspiracy and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
He thus became the first sitting member of Congress
to be charged under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits corporate
bribery.
The charges are based on 11 schemes in which the
congressman allegedly solicited bribes for himself and his family from
government and business officials in the United States, Nigeria, Botswana,
Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome e Principe.
Jefferson, 60, a veteran Democratic lawmaker, was
re-elected last November to a ninth term in the House.
WASHINGTON, June 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic Rep.
William Jefferson of Louisiana has been indicted for soliciting bribes
worldwide, obstructing justice and engaging in racketeering, the Justice
Department said Monday.
The charges were announced nearly two years after
federal agents reported finding 90,000 U.S. dollars in a freezer in his
Washington home, according to reports from U.S. media outlets. Full story
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