This Episode of the Jeffersons Features Prisoner’s Dilemma: Brenda Rats Out Her Family

It’s game theory in action as the threat of hard time in the pokey turns sister against brother. Brenda Jefferson Foster plead guilty yesterday to helping her family skim money from Jefferson family non profits.

Here is yesterday’s Times Picayune story on the guilty plea. This quote pretty well sums up the impact to the rest of the family:

Dealing a blow to her family’s hang-tough legal posture, Brenda Jefferson, the youngest sister of embattled U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, pleaded guilty Wednesday to concealing her knowledge of a conspiracy to skim money from nonprofit groups controlled by relatives.

The plea marked the first admission of guilt by a member of the Jefferson family, five of whom have been charged with federal crimes in the past year.

In doing so, Brenda Jefferson agreed to provide truthful cooperation, according to her plea agreement. A summary of the government’s case against her, which she signed, says she knew of and participated in various schemes being carried out by relatives who are now facing corruption charges. Brenda Jefferson also said that two of her family members charged in the charity scandal made out checks to her from the charities’ accounts, then forged the endorsement and deposited the money in their own accounts.

Today we have news on the arraignments of Mose and Betty Jefferson and Angela Coleman.

Mose Jefferson called his sister Brenda and tried to meet with her after learning she agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in a corruption case in which he and other family members are accused of stealing $600,000 from three charities they founded, prosecutors said during an arraignment hearing this morning.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dorothy Taylor also said a second sibling, Archie Jefferson, called Brenda after the guilty plea to set up a meeting with her. He has not been charged in the scheme but was present at today’s arraignment.

Defense attorney Ike Spears, who is representing Mose Jefferson and his sister Betty, did not refute the assertion.

Brenda Jefferson, also known as Brenda Foster, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to concealing her knowledge of a conspiracy to skim money from nonprofit groups controlled by her relatives.