Cold Cash Jefferson's Siblings Charged With Fraud

Well, I guess criminality does run in the family. At least it does with Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA), whose brother, sister, and niece were all charged with fraud.

A federal grand jury indicted New Orleans tax assessor Betty Jefferson, her brother, Mose Jefferson, and her daughter, Angela Coleman, on charges that include federal program fraud, identity theft and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said the family members used several nonprofit and for-profit companies to obtain grants designed to help pregnant teens, at-risk youths and others in need of assistance. They allegedly deposited some of the grant money into personal checking accounts and used it for personal expenses.

"It's fair to say that the allegations in the indictment are very instructive on how such nonprofits can be exploited," Letten said.

A message seeking comment was left with an attorney who has represented Mose Jefferson; it was not immediately clear who was representing Betty Jefferson and Coleman.

With Wednesday's 31-count indictment, four members of the politically prominent Jefferson family now face federal criminal charges.

Rep. Jefferson, 61, a nine-term Louisiana Democrat, was indicted last year on bribery charges. He is awaiting a trial in Virginia and has denied wrongdoing. The congressman wasn't named in Wednesday's indictment, and faces a re-election campaign this fall.

He's the crook who was found to have $90,000 stored in his freezer and is accused of taking bribes.

The House of Representatives, including both the Democrats and Republicans, sought to shield Jefferson from criminal investigation, and the Democratic leadership has not sought to kick Jefferson out, despite the clear questions about his ethical conduct and criminality.

UPDATE:
As Jammie points out, Jefferson is supporting Obama. Nice.