Former Rep. William Jefferson was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for his conviction on 11 counts of public corruption in a case in which he famously hid $90,000 in his freezer.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III delivered the sentence at a packed courtroom in the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Va. Prosecutors had asked for 27 to 33 years in prison, while Jefferson's lawyers said the prison term should be less than 10 years.
Ellis said that Jefferson, a New Orleans Democrat who served nine terms in Congress, must surrender at the federal correctional facility ultimately selected for his incarceration by the Bureau of Prisons.
Jefferson, 62, was convicted in the same courtroom Aug. 6 of corruption charges by a 12-member jury. The jury acquitted him of five charges.
Jefferson was given the chance to make a statement, but his attorney said he had advised his client to remain silent because the congressman is appealing his conviction.
Before he pronounced sentence, Ellis took statements from lead prosecutor Mark Lytle and Jefferson's lead attorney, Robert Trout.
Lytle said that Jefferson's greed, in demanding millions of dollars in payments and stock to family-owned businesses in return for his help winning potentially lucrative contracts in Western Africa, brought shame to Congress and a long sentence would send a strong message that public corruption won't be tolerated.
