<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"A federal jury convicted Mose Jefferson of four of seven bribery charges on Friday just more than two weeks after his brother, a former Louisiana congressman, was convicted on unrelated bribery charges.\nClick To Comment\n\nJefferson was accused of paying $140,000 in kickbacks to former New Orleans School Board President Ellenese Brooks-Simms as a reward for her support in awarding school contracts to a computer-based teaching system he sold.He didn't have much emotion when the verdict was read, but he had a lot to say after the trial was over. He walked out of federal court Friday still proclaiming his innocence.\"I think it was pretty much impossible to get a good fair trial,\" Jefferson said after the verdict, referring to the publicity and trial of his brother, former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson. \"Everything that has happened to our family in the past year, few years...it was really hard to get a fair shot. I still maintain that I am not guilty. I haven't done anything wrong. I never bribed a person in my life, and I never will.\"In earlier testimony, Jefferson told jurors he gave Brooks-Simms the money as a gift because she was a longtime friend who was deep in debt.\nThe jurors found Jefferson guilty of paying two of three bribery payments for $50,000 each, but acquitted him of a third bribery charge for a $40,000 payment. Jurors also acquitted Jefferson of conspiracy to commit bribery and money laundering.The charges break down as follows:Count 1: Not guilty -- conspiracy to commit briberyCounts 2-3: Guilty -- bribing an agent of an organization seeking federal fundingCount 4: Not guilty -- bribing an agent of an organization seeking federal fundingCount 5: Not guilty -- money launderingCount 6: Guilty -- obstruction of justiceCount 7: Guilty -- obstruction of justiceBrooks-Simms has already pleaded guilty in the case and cooperated with the FBI.\"This case ends with a bad public official, Ellenese Brooks-Simms, being sentenced and the person that bribed her (Mose Jefferson) being sentenced,\" said Jan Mann, assistant U.S. Attorney. \"Wherever we find corruption, whether it's in a family and we have to go through a family, we're going to root it out.\"Defense attorney Mike Fawer said he felt like Jefferson has a good shot of getting the verdict reversed on appeal.\"I think the jury worked hard,\" Fawer said. \"I think they had some material that went into that jury room that shouldn't have gone in...It's a mixed bag. It was a hard-fought trial.\"He said the defense's most significant victory was the acquittal on the first count, conspiracy to commit bribery.\"I think the major acquittal is on the conspiracy to commit bribery and the conspiracy to commit mail fraud,\" Fawer said. \"Those two acquittals are overarching and speak volumes as to what the jury thought of the case.\"William Jefferson was convicted of unrelated corruption charges by a federal jury in Virginia earlier this month.Before the jury resumed its deliberations Friday, they asked for extra transcript copies of conversations between Mose Jefferson and Brooks-Simms.\"It was not so much that his name is 'Jefferson,'\" said legal analyst Robert Jenkins. \"The fact of the case is what came out to be guilty as charged.\"Legal experts also said that because Jefferson is facing another federal trial, he may consider cooperating with the government to help lessen the amount of time he faces in jail. His sentencing is set for Dec. 9.Jefferson is also facing racketeering charges going to trial in January, along with his sister, Betty Jefferson; niece, Angela Coleman; and longtime companion Renee Gill-Pratt. His other sister, Brenda Jefferson, has already pleaded guilty in the case."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.wdsu.com/article/mose-jefferson-guilty-of-4-of-7-bribery-charges/3348806>