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Judge refuses to delay Mose Jefferson's bribery
trial
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| http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/judge_refuses_to_delay_mose_je.html |
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by The Associated Press Thursday July 16, 2009, 1:22 PM NEW ORLEANS -- A federal judge has refused to postpone a bribery trial for a former Louisiana congressman's brother until after his trial for a separate racketeering conspiracy case. Mose Jefferson's trial on charges he bribed a former New Orleans school board president for her support in awarding a school contract is scheduled to start Aug. 10. In a court filing Wednesday, Jefferson's attorney said former state Rep. Renee Gill Pratt would be a key witness for Jefferson's defense in the bribery case, but she is unable to testify because she also has been charged in the racketeering case and is awaiting a trial of her own. U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon didn't explain Wednesday why she denied Jefferson's request for a delay. |