Investors contend that illegal activity contributed to the demise of iGate
A 13-year sentence isn't the only legal problem facing former Rep. William Jefferson,
D-New Orleans. Jefferson, along with Vernon Jackson, the CEO of iGate
Inc., who served prison time after pleading guilty to making payments to
Jefferson for help securing contracts in western Africa, is named in a
civil suit by iGate investors arguing that the pair's illegal activity
contributed to the company's demise.
View full sizeFormer U.S. Rep. William Jefferson was photographed leaving the U.S. District Courthouse in Alexandria, Va., after his conviction Aug. 5, 2009. John Ballantine and
Justice Clark, the attorneys who represented Jefferson and his wife,
Andrea, recently asked and received permission to end their legal
representation. In a filing in a Louisville, Ky., federal court, the
lawyers said they "reached an irreconcilable difference regarding a
matter material to their attorney-client relationship." They didn't
specify the difference.
The civil case has been delayed because of the lengthy criminal investigation and trial for Jefferson, which ended in August 2009, with a guilty verdict on 11 of 16 charges. In November, 2009, Judge T.S. Ellis III sentenced Jefferson to 13 years in prison, but has allowed him to remain free pending resolution of his appeal to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.
Bruce Alpert can be reached at balpert@timespicayune.com or 202.857.5131. Jonathan Tilove can be reached at jtilove@timespicayune.com or 202.857.5125.