by Katie Fretland
The sister, brother and niece of Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) were indicted yesterday on charges of using charities they controlled to funnel government grant money for themselves. Some of that grant money should have been used to help at-risk and disadvantaged youths, according to a 31-count indictment.
A grand jury already indicted William Jefferson, a nine-term congressman, on June 4 last year (exactly one year before those three family members) on charges that included bribery, racketeering, money laundering and obstruction of justice. He awaits trial.
His brother, Mose Jefferson, sister and city tax assessor Betty Jefferson, and her daughter, Angela Coleman, all of New Orleans, face charges that include conspiracy to commit mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten announced.
In addition, Betty Jefferson, 70, faces charges of tax evasion and Mose Jefferson, 66, faces charges of making false statements to federal investigators.
In a statement, Letten said the latest indictment is a "powerful, unambiguous signal that we will not tolerate abuses or theft from those federal and state funding programs specifically designed to help those genuinely disadvantaged and at-risk youth and other disadvantaged individuals in our community who so desperately need assistance."
See what the Department of Justice and FBI released about the case here.
Read more about the case in the New Orleans Times Picayune here.
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