Allegations detailed
The affidavit supporting the search warrant, released Sunday, revealed the most extensive details to date of the allegations against Jefferson, 59, an eight-term congressman.
Investigators have collected evidence linking Jefferson to at least seven cases where the congressman "sought things of value in return for his performance of official acts," according to the affidavit.
A search of Jefferson's Washington home in August 2005 turned up $90,000 in cash in the freezer, stashed in food containers and wrapped in aluminum foil, the affidavit said.
The money was part of $100,000 in cash that had been given to Jefferson by an informant working with investigators, and the delivery of the money was taped by the FBI, according to the affidavit.
Jefferson's home in New Orleans was searched at the same time. A month later, after flooding from Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, the congressman came under criticism for traveling to his home with a National Guard escort to retrieve personal belongings.
The congressman defended the trip, saying it was part of a larger tour to assess damage in the city and adding the escort was necessary because of security concerns.
According to the affidavit, the investigation of Jefferson began in March 2005, when the informant went to the FBI claiming to be "a victim of a fraud and bribery scheme" involving the congressman and two other men -- Vernon Jackson, the CEO of the Kentucky-based high-tech firm iGate, and Brett Pfeffer, a former Jefferson aide who was president of an investment firm owned by the informant.
The informant agreed to record conversations with Jefferson, Jackson and Pfeffer, the affidavit said.
The affidavit identified the informant only as a Virginia resident who headed an "educational technology philanthropic foundation." However, a government official told CNN on Monday that the informant was a businesswoman named Lori Moody.
Jefferson represents Louisiana's 2nd District, a majority black, solidly Democratic district that takes in much of the city of New Orleans and some suburban areas. When he was elected in 1990, Jefferson became the first black congressman from the Pelican State since Reconstruction.