BETTY JEFFERSON AND ANGELA COLEMAN PLEAD GUILTY IN FEDERAL COURT
BETTY JEFFERSON, age 70, an elected tax assessor in New Orleans, and her daughter, ANGELA COLEMAN, age 53, both residents of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty today before U. S. District Judge Ivan L. R. Lemelle to a Superseding Bill of Information charging conspiracy to commit Mail Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, Money Laundering, and Tax Evasion, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to the factual basis, JEFFERSON and COLEMAN admitted today that between approximately 1999 and 2006, they participated in a scheme to obtain money and property for their financial and political benefit both directly and through the use of various non-profit entities and for-profit companies, as well as the elected offices of the State Representative’s Office for District 91, the City Councilmember’s Office for District B, and the Office of Tax Assessor for the 4th Municipal District of Orleans Parish and Mose Jefferson. The pleas were part of a plea/cooperation agreement with the United States.
The defendants face a possible maximum sentence of five (5) years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and three (3) years supervised release. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 26, 2010.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, the United States Department of Education, Office of Inspector General and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorneys Fred P. Harper, Jr., Daniel P. Friel, and Brian Marcelle.
(Download Superseding Bill of Information 
)
