Congressman Held Over 'freezer Full of Cash'

A Democratic Congressman, William Jefferson, whose freezer was allegedly stuffed with $90,000 (£45,000) in used notes, was charged today with bribery, money laundering, racketeering and wire fraud.

The FBI allegedly found the $90,000 on a raid on his home in 2005, divided into bundles of $10,000 wrapped in aluminum foil inside frozen food containers. Agents claimed it was part of a $100,000 bribe from an FBI informant.

The 16 charges are an embarrassment to the Democratic party, which controls both the senate and the House of Representatives, fighting the November election on a platform pledging to clean up Washington politics.

Prosecutors read out the charges at the federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington. If found guilty, Mr Jefferson could face up to 235 years in jail.

He allegedly demanded cash in exchange for using his congressional clout to arrange African business deals. The chargesheet, which runs to 94 pages, includes soliciting bribes for himself and bribing a Nigerian official, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Mr Jefferson, 63, was elected to the House in 1991 for the Louisiana district, which includes New Orleans, and re-elected again last year in spite of facing the charges.

He was the first African-American to be elected to Congress from Louisiana. He had risen from a relatively modest background to graduate from Harvard law school. The charges cover alleged deals with six African countries.

A congressional aide and a telecommunications executive, who have already been sentenced to prison, are collaborating with the prosecutors.

Mr Jefferson, who was in Louisiana today, has said little about the FBI investigation other than to express being disappointed and perplexed when the aide pleaded guilty. Mr Jefferson was videotaped by the FBI in July 2005 allegedly receiving the $100,000 in a leather briefcase at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Arlington, outside DC.

He allegedly told an FBI informant, wearing a wire, that he needed to give a senior Nigerian politician $500,000 to help a company win a contract in Nigeria. The Nigerian politician has denied any involvement.

The FBI claims that the serial numbers on the money found in the freezer matched that given to them by their informant.

Last year, the FBI raided Mr Jefferson's office on Capitol Hill, a move that opened up a constitutional debate on whether it had the right to enter the offices of elected representatives.