Cold Cash asks judge to toss 14 charges

[DesertFox]

Accusing the Bush Justice Department of mounting a bogus bribery case and employing race-based tactics, attorneys for Rep. William [[Cold Cash] Jefferson, D-New Orleans, asked a federal judge Friday to throw out 14 of the 16 charges against the nine-term congressman and to move his trial to Washington, D.C., from northern Virginia.

The 14 motions represent Jefferson's first major assault on a wide-ranging government case that accuses him of illegally using his elected office to pursue business ventures in West Africa that steered money and stocks to his family. Legal scholars said some of the motions have a chance to prevail.

In the most provocative challenge, lead attorney Robert Trout accused the government of choreographing events, including changing the location of a 2005 meeting in which Jefferson received $100,000 from an informant, to justify bringing the case in a jurisdiction friendlier to the prosecution. The brief said the government wants to try the case in northern Virginia because the judicial district has a lower percentage of African-Americans than Washington, and may therefore be more sympathetic to an African-American politician.

More (http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1189233736248700.xml&coll=1)

[DesertFox]

Ole Cole Cash, he almos' as embarrassin' to the black race as Ray Nagin.

He still gots a ways to go to catch Al Kill All White Peoples Sharpton and Jesse Hymietown Jackson, though.

[DeclinetoState]

I believe it's fairly common for defendants to ask judges to reduce or dismiss one or more (or all) of the charges against them prior to a trial. Some charges may be dismissed, all may be dismissed, or none may be dismissed. It's still up to the judge to see if (a) the charges have merit, and (b) the request to dismiss the charges has merit.