Court leaves ex-rep.'s conviction intact

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson's appeal to have his bribery conviction vacated.

The Louisiana Democrat began serving a 13-year prison sentence in May after he was convicted three years ago for orchestrating a plot to bribe African officials that culminated with government investigators finding $90,000 hidden in his freezer.

Jefferson, 65, had asked the Supreme Court to hear his case after a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld 10 of the 11 corruption counts for which he was convicted, Roll Call reported.

The appeals court rejected Jefferson's argument that the federal bribery statute prosecutors used to convict him wasn't applicable because the scheme wasn't related to his official duties.