Jefferson's request for a new trial denied

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson's request for a new trial on bribery and racketeering charges was denied by a New Orleans judge, court records said.

Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, asked for a new trial partly because the federal judge refused to let the jury hear information about a relationship between an FBI agent and a government informant.

Judge T.S. Ellis III said in his ruling, that disclosing a relationship between an undercover driver and informant Lori Mody was not necessary.

Mody secretly recorded conversations with Jefferson but she did not testify at his trial.

Lead FBI agent Timothy Thibault said on June 5, four days before the start of jury selection, agent John Guandolo, the driver, was involved in a sexual relationship with Mody.

Jefferson's legal team argued for disclosure, saying the relationship revealed issues about the FBI's credibility during the lengthy investigation.

Jefferson was convicted Aug. 5 in Alexandria, Va., nearly four years after the FBI raided his homes in New Orleans and Washington and found $90,000 in cash hidden in the freezer of his D.C. home. The government said the money was a bribe to gain favor from Atiku Abubakar, then vice president of Nigeria, for a telecommunications deal pursued by Mody.