Oh, what a shame! Officials announced on Friday that former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 21 counts of bribery, wire fraud, money laundering and tax return fraud. Two former city officials and two businessmen have confessed in connection with the charges, though Nagin has denied any wrongdoing.
The two businessmen, Frank Fradella and Rodney Williams, are expected to testify against Nagin stating that they bribed Nagin in order to win contracts. In June, Fradella pleaded guilty to bribery, conspiracy and securities-fraud charges. In December, Williams told a federal court that he gave the ex-mayor over $72,000 in exchange for engineering contracts.
Nagin, who is 56 years old, served as a two-term mayor of New Orleans starting in 2002. Prior to that, he worked as a cable TV executive and ran on the platform to stop political corruption and revive the city's economy. He received a majority of the vote from wealthy, white residents during his first campaign, but was re-elected by appealing to black voters during his second campaign.
In 2005, he gained national notoriety in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which wiped out nearly 80 percent of the city.
The charges held against him include conspiracy to deprive citizens of honest services and accepting payoffs, free trips and gratuities from contractors. He is also accused of using his political office for personal gain, including over $160,000 in bribes and free granite for his family business, making him the first mayor in the city's history to be indicted by a grand jury on corruption charges.
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