June 4 is a date that will live in infamy for one political New Orleans family. On that date in 2007, U.S. Rep. William Jefferson was indicted on 16 counts of bribery and racketeering. One year later to the day, Jefferson's brother, sister and niece were issued a 31-count federal indictment for a litany of alleged crimes.

U.S. Rep. William Jefferson

William Jefferson made news in 2005 when the FBI raided his home and eventually released news that he had hid $90,000 in aluminum foil packages in his freezer, money he was allegedly going to use to bribe African officials. The nine-term Louisiana Democrat now awaits trial in Virginia, though he is running for re-election this fall.

This fall's election may provide some redemption for the Jefferson family, but first they have to get through summer.

A federal grand jury last week indicted William Jefferson's sister, Betty, his brother, Mose, and Betty's daughter, Angela Coleman, on 31 counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, federal program fraud, aggravated identity theft, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and substantive program fraud.

In addition, Betty, an elected New Orleans tax assessor, faces four counts of tax evasion, and Mose faces three counts of making false statements to federal investigators.

If convicted on all counts of the June 4 indictment, the Jefferson trio faces a maximum, collective sentence of 786 years in prison and nearly $8 million in fines.

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The indictment states that the Jefferson family members used their non-profit and for-profit companies to obtain state and federal grant money for charitable initiatives. Federal investigators allege that the family then funneled more than $600,000 of that money into their own pockets.

U.S. attorney Jim Letten told reporters in a press conference that the Jefferson family, "having obtained these grant moneys for stated civic purposes – to benefit at-risk youth and such things – misapplied and basically stole these monies."

The politically prominent Jefferson family now has four members facing federal criminal charges, but even more may be on the way.

WGNO-TV in New Orleans reports that indictment also includes other, as of yet unnamed, Jefferson family members. Letten told the station the investigation into the Jefferson family's crimes is continuing, and more names and charges may be announced in the future.

Mose Jefferson also faces a previous indictment, filed in April. He is charged with bribing the former New Orleans school board president $140,000 to approve a computer contract and receiving an almost $1 million kickback from the computer company.

Mose Jefferson, Betty Jefferson and Angela Coleman are scheduled to next appear in court on the 20th of – when else? – June.

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