Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin gets 10 years for bribery

USPA News - C. Ray Nagin, who had pledged to root out cronyism and became well-known for leading the City of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday after being convicted of corruption charges. Nagin, 58, was convicted in February after evidence showed that he, as mayor of New Orleans, devised a scheme in which he provided favorable treatment, including awarding contracts, that benefited individuals who had provided him with bribes and kickbacks in the forms of checks, cash, granite inventory, wire transfers, personal services, and free travel.

Court documents showed that, after Nagin set up a granite company called Stone Age LLC in January 2005, the mayor accepted approximately $62,250 in bribes from Three Fold Consultants LLC and its owner, Rodney Williams. He also accepted bribes from another person, including $50,000, granite inventory, and nine payoffs in the form of wire transfers totaling $112,500. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Helen Berrigan of the Eastern District of Louisiana sentenced Nagin to 10 years in prison and ordered him to pay $84,264 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Nagin, who served as mayor from 2002 to 2010, is scheduled to report to prison on September 8. "Ray Nagin`s sentencing brings to a close a sordid chapter in New Orleans` history in which the man charged with leading a city out of crisis instead chose to enrich himself, his family and friends," said Rafael Goyeneche III, President of the Metropolitan Crime Commission. "This case epitomizes the vital role the public plays in exposing corruption as information supplied by citizens through the Metropolitan Crime Commission aided the FBI and U.S. Attorney"s Office in bringing this case to a just conclusion." Despite his conviction and Wednesday`s sentencing, the former mayor has maintained his innocence.