Former New Orleans Mayor To Report To Prison Today
Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin (D) was due to report to federal prison in Texarkana, Texas, on Monday to begin serving a 10-year sentence for corruption during the years when the city was struggling to recover from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina.
[su_center_ad]Nagin, a Democrat, was thrust into the national spotlight in 2005, when Katrina overwhelmed levees and flooded 80 percent of New Orleans, killing 1,500 people and causing some $80 billion in damage.
The 58-year-old former mayor plans to appeal his conviction, according to Reuters.
According to court filings, claims to be nearly penniless, and has been granted a court-appointed lawyer.
Nagin, a businessman turned politician, served as New Orleans’ mayor from 2002-2010.
In July, a jury convicted Nagin of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes — money, free vacation trips and truckloads of free granite for his family business — from businessmen who wanted work from the city or Nagin’s support for various hurricane recovery projects. The charges included wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and tax evasion.
With good behavior, Nagin could serve about 8-1/2 years in prison out of the 10-year sentence.[su_csky_ad]
Image: AP
EnuffBull September 8th, 2014 at 8:36 am
Politicians, police, government employees: the American public DEMAND a higher level of responsibility from your sectors. Your sectors were elected/selected/appointed and paid for by the public TRUST.
Michelle Garner September 8th, 2014 at 4:20 pm
Yes and the “people” re-elected him after the hurricane but I’m positive most of the votes were bogus
Skydog2 September 8th, 2014 at 9:46 pm
Seems like most people hate politicians except their own who they keep re-electing.
Carla Akins September 8th, 2014 at 8:43 am
For shame, what a waste of an opportunity.
Michelle Garner September 8th, 2014 at 4:19 pm
Oh, no, he didn’t waste the opportunity. He took full advantage and stuck it to the people of N.O. IMO he needs more time for the 6 buses our parish he turned away when they were evacuating the city. Jerk (nagin) and for every person who died waiting to get out, he should be charged with negligent homicide. I remember very clearly what happened during Katrina.
Budda September 8th, 2014 at 11:48 am
Whether you are the mayor of a large city or the governor of a state if you are a crook you need to go to jail. I would like to include bankers in that also.
Budda September 8th, 2014 at 1:19 pm
and CEO’s
Candide Thirtythree September 8th, 2014 at 3:51 pm
I hope it is not one of those Club Fed cushy prisons, I hope it is one of those for profit private prisons where they force the inmates to sew blue jeans or gut chickens for rich business owners. Does the federal government use those corrupt, slave labor outfits or is that just republican states that do that?
I want an end to those horrible places except for people like him, politicians and CEOs.
New Orleans still has not recovered completely, Brad Pitt did more for the people than Nagin did.