The first black Louisiana congressman since Reconstruction has been found guilty

Former Representative William J. Jefferson has been convicted of using his office to try to enrich himself and relatives through a web of bribes and payoffs involving business ventures in Africa. A federal court jury deliberated for five days before finding Jefferson, 62, a New Orleans Democrat who served in Congress for 18 years until being defeated in 2008, guilty of 11 counts of bribery, racketeering and money laundering.