Prison is calling for ex-Congressman William Jefferson, the New Orleans politician who gained national fame after the FBI found $90,000 stuffed in his freezer in 2005.
Bruce Alpert, the star reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, reports that the fed judge in the case on Friday ordered Jefferson, 65, to report to prison by May 4 to begin serving his 13-year sentence for his public corruption convictions. The judge revoked his $50,000 bail.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis of Alexandria, Va., sentenced Jefferson in November 2009, but he remained free pending his appeal. The 13-year sentence is the toughest ever handed down to a member of Congress.
A three-judge panel for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month rejected Jefferson’s bid for a new trial.
The Times-Picayune reported that Jefferson’s attorneys plan to take the case to the Supreme Court.
The Picayune reported that Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lytle, speaking in Ellis’ courtroom Friday morning, said Jefferson wasn’t likely to prevail in future appeals.
