William Jefferson, 2006 News

Democratic Congressman from Louisiana, was accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from a small high-tech company, iGate Inc., in exchange for helping it secure contracts with the Nigerian government and companies in West Africa. The FBI, which had earlier taped Jefferson accepting $100,000 in cash from a cooperating witness, searched Jefferson's Washington office in May. It was the first time the FBI had ever searched a Congressman's Capitol office. Jefferson, an eight-term Representative, denied any wrongdoing. Several Democratic and Republican members of Congress criticized the search, saying it was a violation of the separation of powers.