I can’t even say anymore, just read the article. I’m so sad right now.  We  put so much trust into Nagin after the storms and we needed so much help.  I say “we” because the citizens of New Orleans are American Citizens, Southern Citizens, the whole nine.  I do hope that this is not all true.  I hope that he has been set up.  Even as I write this, I hear my readers saying, “Wishful thinking, Latrivia.”  What is really going on in the world, Craig? He could have made $60,000 writing a good book about his experiences there in New Orleans during the Hurricane.  Geesh!!!

By Elizabeth Chuck

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was convicted Wednesday of accepting bribes and free trips from contractors in exchange for helping them clinch millions of dollars in city work when he was in office.

Prosecutors in the federal corruption case alleged Nagin took bribes worth more than $500,000 through various criminal acts, starting before Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and continuing through the storm’s recovery.

Nagin, a Democrat who was mayor for two terms from 2002 to 2010, denied he took any bribes. He faced a 21-count indictment, and was found guilty of 20 counts. The counts ranged from conspiracy to filing a false tax return.

Read the indictment

One of the most egregious charges Nagin was found guilty of was accepting $60,000 from an engineering firm, Three Fold Consulting, in exchange for special treatment. The lone charge he was found not guilty of was a separate bribery charge: accepting a $10,000 bribe arranged by a principal in Three Fold Consultants.

Nagin, 57, faces more than 20 years in prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan ordered him to be under house arrest until the sentencing, WDSU in New Orleans reported.

The jury deliberated for about six and a half hours before delivering the verdict.

First published February 12th 2014, 12:59 pm