FBI Finds $90,000 in Cash Hidden in Rep. William Jefferson's Freezer

FBI agents raided the home of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-LA) in Northeast Washington and discovered $90,000 in cash hidden in his freezer, wrapped in aluminum foil in $10,000 increments and stuffed inside frozen-food containers. The serial numbers on the currency matched funds the FBI had provided to their informant, Virginia businesswoman Lori Mody, who had given Jefferson $100,000 in marked bills in a leather briefcase at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Arlington on July 30, 2005. Mody, who became an FBI informant after complaining that Jefferson was defrauding her in African business deals, had been cooperating with investigators who captured the cash handoff on camera. Jefferson told Mody the money was intended as “a motivating factor” to be delivered to Nigeria’s Vice President Atiku Abubakar to secure telecommunications contracts for American companies.

Jefferson was indicted on June 4, 2007, on 16 counts of bribery, racketeering, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and related charges. On August 5, 2009, he was found guilty of 11 of the 16 corruption counts, and on November 13, 2009, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison—the longest sentence ever given to a representative for bribery or any corruption-related charge. The discovery of the frozen cash became one of the most memorable images of congressional corruption, symbolizing the brazen nature of official misconduct during the mid-2000s wave of scandals.

The case demonstrated that congressional corruption crossed party lines, occurring among both Democrats and Republicans during this period. Jefferson was released in 2017 after serving six and a half years. The investigation revealed the extent to which some members of Congress were willing to exploit their positions for personal gain, using their influence to broker international business deals in exchange for substantial bribes.