Prosecutors: Jefferson's wife hid bribes

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 30 (UPI) -- A firm owned by the wife of former William Jefferson" class="tpstyle">U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., earned thousands of dollars but incurred no business expenses, an accountant said.

Jack Swetland, a New Orleans accountant who had worked with the Jeffersons since 1982, testified Monday at William Jefferson's bribery and fraud trial in Alexandria, Va., The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported Tuesday.

Prosecutors allege Andrea Jefferson's ANJ consulting firm was a shell company that accepted payments from companies who had sought William Jefferson's help in brokering deals in West Africa.

Jefferson has said his actions were as a private citizen and, therefore, not subject to bribery statutes.

Swetland, who no longer works for the Jeffersons, testified ANJ at one point was getting $7,500 a month from iGate, a Kentucky technology firm, without having spent any money on office space, travel, gas, stamps or a single employee, The Times-Picayune reported.

Prosecutors have said Andrea Jefferson was indispensable in her husband's allegedly illegal deals. Defense lawyers have said there is no evidence she was involved in any kind of criminal conspiracy.