Jefferson attorney says cash in freezer for safety

• By GERARD SHIELDS
• Advocate Washington bureau
• Published: Jun 17, 2009 - Page: 1A

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WASHINGTON — He hid the money in his freezer to keep it from being stolen by intruders or his housekeeper.

That was the explanation the defense attorney for former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson gave to jurors in Tuesday’s opening day of the bribery trial against the New Orleans Democrat.

Lawyer Robert Trout said Jefferson took $100,000 to humor an “emotionally fragile” FBI informant caught up in the excitement of being involved in an FBI sting.

The Virginia businesswoman believed she had to give Jefferson $100,000 to bribe the vice president of Nigeria to forward her business interests, Trout said. FBI agents recovered $90,000 in a freezer in a raid of Jefferson’s Washington home.

“He does something really stupid,” Trout said of Jefferson. “He goes along with it.”

That the money never ended up in the hands of the Nigerian vice president showed that Jefferson didn’t pay a bribe. Trout did not say what Jefferson was going to do with the cash but noted he gave $5,000 to a member of his staff who had money troubles.

“The evidence will make clear he has no intention of bribing anyone,” Trout said.

Jefferson pleaded innocent to and is on trial for 16 counts of public corruption, including conspiracy, bribery and money laundering.

Trout accused the FBI of trying to “bag a congressman” by setting up the sting after learning that Jefferson was promoting a telecommunications deal in Africa. But Trout indicated in his opening statements that the informant, Lori Mody, was a tool for the FBI to get to Jefferson.

“They created the script, directed the action and she came to love the starring role they gave her,” Trout said.

At no time did Jefferson commit “official acts” such as appropriating government money, voting or introducing legislation for any of the business deals, Trout said.

In his opening statements, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lytle outlined a half-dozen alleged business schemes that Jefferson orchestrated through “sham” companies created by family members. Jefferson used his influence as a congressman to promote business deals in Africa in return for payments to the companies, Lytle said.

Lytle told the jury that it will get to hear recorded tapes and see video of exchanges between Mody and Jefferson, who Lytle said initiated the Nigerian bribe scheme and schooled her in it. Mody contacted the FBI after losing $3.5 million in a deal that Jefferson promoted, Lytle said.