NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An arraignment has been set for a former Louisiana lawmaker and three relatives of a former congressman who are charged with engaging in a racketeering conspiracy.
Former state Rep. Renee Gill Pratt and her three co-defendants are due in federal court next Friday for their arraignments in a 34-count indictment.
Last Friday’s indictment brought new charges against New Orleans tax assessor Betty Jefferson, her brother Mose Jefferson and her daughter Angela Coleman. The three relatives of former Louisiana congressman William Jefferson already have pleaded not guilty to related charges.
Gill Pratt, who is Mose Jefferson’s girlfriend, is accused of taking part in a scheme to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money earmarked for charitable and educational programs.
