ALEXANDRIA, Va.,— Louisiana and New Orleans Congresman William J. “Bill” Jefferson pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges that he solicited bribes for himself and his family from 11 companies while using his office to broker business deals in Africa.

 Jefferson, a Democrat initially at court in Alexandria, Va. He is accused of receiving $500,000 in bribes.

“I am absolutely innocent of the charges that have been leveled against me,” Mr. Jefferson said after the hearing. “I’m going to fight my heart out to clear my name.”

However, prosecutors feel Jefferson will have to fight quite hard and are alleging that the Congressman as co-chairman of the Congressional Africa Investment and Trade Caucus enabled the deals and formost, that that he demanded kickbacks for himself and his family. He is also charged with bribing a Nigerian official.

Mr. Jefferson reportedly received more than $500,000 in bribes and demanded millions more from 2000 to 2005.

The indictment issued Monday enumerates 11 bribery schemes and 16 criminal counts, including racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice.

Mr. Jefferson was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond. His trial is scheduled for January, and he faces up to 235 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

In front of the nation and on nation television, Mr. Jefferson projected that his family was the “American dream”.  .

“We are the same family that the Department of Justice and F.B.I. want you to believe is a family made up of bribers, racketeers and conspirators,” he said. “This is not who we are. This is not who I am. This is not what I have done.”

As conditions for his release, among other matters, Judge Ellis ordered Mr. Jefferson to surrender his passport.

According to allegations, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation videotaped Mr. Jefferson picking up a $100,000 bribe in 2005 from an informer in a hotel parking garage. Two days later, agents from the bureau raided Mr. Jefferson’s house in Washington and found $90,000 (amusingly considered cold cash) in a box in his freezer.

“The $90,000 was the F.B.I.’s money,” he said. “The F.B.I. gave it to me as part of its plan — part of their plan — that I would give it to the Nigerian vice president. But I did not do that. When all the facts are understood, I trust that I will be vindicated.”

However, the Congressman failed to mention what happened to the ten thousand dollars nor why he accepted the money in the first place.  Jefferson is alleging a sting operation. 

Prosecutors are alleging that Jefferson told the informer that he needed cash to bribe the vice president, Atiku Abubakar of Nigeria, however Abubakar has denied any wrongdoing.

Mr. Jefferson was re-elected last year after a fierce battle focusing upon his possible indictment.  Previously, he had been removed from the powerful Ways and Means committee   and recently he resigned from the House Small Business Committee during the existence of the criminal action.

Then on earlier this week, the judge froze his assets, and the House Ethics Committee voted to expand its investigation to include any subject in the 16-count indictment.

The frozen assets will make it difficult for him to launch a defense as he mentioned that the prosecutors should break individuals both financially and psychologically. .

Jefferson is free on a $100,000 personal recognizance bond -- he took an oath affirming he would make future court appearances in lieu of paying the bond.

Last year, the bizarre investigation came to a constitutional crises as the FBI agents raided Jefferson's Washington, D.C., home.  Republicans in Congress were particularly outraged by the seizure considering the Office as sacred grounds

After his arraignment, Jefferson made a lengthy statement denouncing the charges and asserting that the FBI had planned all along to give money to the Nigerian vice president.

"I am absolutely innocent of the charges that have been leveled against me. … I'm going to fight my heart out to clear my name," Jefferson said.

With his wife, Andrea, standing at his side, Jefferson spoke at length about his family who are attorneys and in the medical field.  He was projecting that he is part of Middle America made possible by fate and hard work.  .

"Incredibly, we are the same family that the U.S. attorney and FBI would have you believe is a family made up of bribers, racketeers and conspirators against the laws of our country."