Because the title of the article didn’t read, “Louisiana Republican Indicted in Bribery Scandal,” I knew it was a demonRat.

From the non-biased CNN:

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-Louisiana, was indicted Monday on federal charges of racketeering, soliciting bribes and money-laundering in a long-running bribery investigation into business deals he tried to broker in Africa.

The indictment handed up Monday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, is 94 pages long and lists 16 alleged violations of federal law that could keep Jefferson in prison for up to 235 years, according to a Justice Department official who has seen the document.

Don’t panic — he’s a demonRat. I’m confident he won’t see the inside of a prison.

Among the charges listed in the indictment, said the official, are racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money-laundering, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case. (Read the indictment [PDF])

Jefferson is accused of soliciting bribes for himself and his family, and also for bribing a Nigerian official.

Jefferson, who was in Louisiana on Monday, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The 63-year-old lawmaker, whose Louisiana district includes New Orleans, has said little about the case publicly but has maintained his innocence. He was re-elected last year despite the looming investigation.

Almost two years ago, in August 2005, investigators raided Jefferson’s home in Louisiana and found $90,000 in cash stuffed into a box in his freezer.

Case’s impact felt in Nigerian election

Two of Jefferson’s associates have already struck plea bargains with prosecutors and have been sentenced.

Brett Pfeffer, a former congressional aide, admitted soliciting bribes on Jefferson’s behalf and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Another Jefferson associate, telecommunications executive Vernon Jackson of Louisville, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to paying between $400,000 and $1 million in bribes to Jefferson in exchange for his assistance in securing business deals in Nigeria and other African nations. Jackson was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.

Both Pfeffer and Jackson agreed to cooperate in the case against Jefferson in exchanges for their pleas.

The impact of the case has stretched across continents and even roiled presidential politics in Nigeria. According to court records, Jefferson told associates that he needed cash to pay bribes to the country’s vice president, Atiku Abubakar.

Abubakar denied the allegations, which figured prominently in that country’s presidential elections in April. Abubakar ran for the presidency and finished third.

Legality of Capitol office raid at issue

Court records indicate that Jefferson was videotaped taking a $100,000 cash bribe from an FBI informant. Most of that money later turned up in a freezer in Jefferson’s home.

Oh, so that’s where the cold cash came from.

In May 2006, the FBI raided Jefferson’s congressional office, the first such raid on a sitting congressman’s Capitol office. That move sparked a constitutional debate over whether the executive branch stepped over its boundary.

The legality of the raid is still being argued on appeal. House leaders objected to the search saying it was an unconstitutional intrusion on the lawmaking process. The FBI said the raid was necessary because Jefferson and his legal team had failed to respond to requests for documents.

I remember. It was Republicans whining about Congressional members being above the law.

Some but not all the documents seized in the raid have been turned over Justice Department prosecutors.

It will be very interesting to see how the media spins this. I’m sure the FBI is only going after Jefferson because he’s black. (For those not familiar with my blogging, that last sentence should be read in a sarcastic tone).

UPDATE: Brit and Grit have this too:) Hey, Nuke has the story at his place too.

UPDATE: Sweetness & Light has a thread on it too.