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Tag: Ray Nagin

  • Ex-New Orleans Mayor Gets 10-Year Prison Sentence

    Former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin received a 10-year prison term Wednesday after being convicted of bribery, money laundering and other corruption back in February.

    Nagin, 58, had served two terms in office, and was mayor of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Nagin had accepted roughly $500K from various businesses that wanted to work in the city, and the former mayor also received free vacations and truckloads of granite which he was able to use in his family’s business.

    U.S. District Judge Helen Berrigan handed down the sentence Wednesday morning, and Nagin maintained his innocence of any wrongdoing. Prosecutors were pushing for a longer sentence, more like 20 years, but Berrigan took into account that Nagin made little profit as compared to others in a multi-million dollar scandal. Berrigan commented, “Mr. Nagin claimed a much, much smaller share of the profits in this conspiracy,.”

    Directly before receiving his sentence, Nagin thanked Berrigan for her professionalism, and said, “I trust that God’s going to work all this out.” Nagin is scheduled to report to the federal prison Oakdale, La., some time in September.

    Here Nagin makes his controversial post-Katrina “Chocolate City” remarks in 2006:

    Kanye West got a word in:

    Prosecutors also named Nagin’s two sons as being part of the bribery scandal for accepting the free granite, though they were never charged. Though federal guidelines would suggest the 20-year prison term, Judge Berrigan also took into account character references that portrayed Nagin to be a devoted son, husband and father. Berrigan also noted that Nagin exhibited “a genuine if all too infrequent” desire to help New Orleans residents after Katrina hit.

    Ray Nagin scandal Twitter intrigue:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ray Nagin Must Pay Government Over $500,000

    Ray Nagin Must Pay Government Over $500,000

    On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to pay over $501,000, which is the total amount he got from bribing and exploiting his position as a Mayor.

    Nagin was convicted in February on several counts including conspiracy, money laundering, fraud, and bribery among others. He served as the Mayor of New Orleans from 2002 up to 2010.

    According to prosecutors, the amount that Nagin has to pay is the total amount he got from services, money, and goods from several businessmen. Robert Jenkins, Nagin’s attorney, contested the amount and said that his client should pay less, as he shared liability with others.

    With his charges, Nagin could face a maximum of 20 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled on June 11. However, he is asking for the sentencing to be pushed back, so he could take time to prepare for a pre-sentence investigation. Although reports are not available to the public, there are speculations that Nagin’s camp wants the date pushed back so they can formulate a plan to fight the details stated on the report.

    The half-a-million amount may be detrimental to Nagin, as he is already in deep water with his finances. Early this month, his wife, Seletha Nagin filed for bankruptcy and the Nagins’ townhouse located outside Dallas was set for foreclosure.

    The precise prison term for the ex-Mayor will be based on the findings after the pre-sentencing investigation. They will be considering the number and severity of crimes that Nagin has committed during his years in office.

    Nagin was indicted 3 years after leaving office. The City Hall conducted a corruption investigation and Nagin’s technology chief, as well as a city vendor and two businessmen, pleaded guilty to the corruption case. His technology chief testified against him.

    Nagin’s attorney stated that he will appeal his client’s conviction.

    A look back at Ray Nagin

    Image via YouTube

  • Ray Nagin: Former New Orleans Mayor Is Now A Convict

    Ray Nagin, former mayor of New Orleans, is now a convict. A federal jury found him guilty of corruption charges on Wednesday, February 12. Nagin left office in 2010 after serving two terms as mayor.

    In January 2013, Nagin was indicted on charges that he accepted thousands of dollars in bribes and payoffs. He was also charged with accepting truckloads of granite for his personal enterprise in exchange for supporting and promoting businessman Frank Fradella’s projects. The indictment included the services Nagin and his family received in exchange for his nod to businesses pursuing contracts in the city. More than $5 million in city contracts were reported to have been the result of these transactions.

    The jury deemed Nagin guilty of 20 of the 21 counts against him. These include six counts of bribery, four counts of filing false tax returns, one count of overarching conspiracy, nine counts of wire fraud, and one money laundering conspiracy count. He was found not guilty of one count of bribery. The trial lasted for two weeks, during which prosecutors brought forth some of the businessmen who stepped forward to plead guilty to bribing the former mayor.

    In his testimony, Nagin said that what the prosecution’s key witness said was false, and that the evidence were all misinterpreted by the prosecutors. In addition, Nagin’s lawyer remarked that there is no proof that his client was given money. The granite, though sent to the family business, was actually tied to projects for the city, he said. During the cross-examination, however, Nagin seemed to dig a deeper hole for himself when he said he couldn’t remember who paid for a trip or perk he received.

    It was during Nagin’s first term as mayor when Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005. During that time, there were doubts as to whether the taxpayer money being sent to the city was being used for the right purposes, considering that the state had a long history of corruption. Nagin, who was elected to mayorship only a few years before the disaster, was ready to reassure the people and put their suspicions of corruption to rest. He reportedly said that anyone was free to do a Google search on him, adding, “You’re not going to find any of that in my record.”

    Image via YouTube