Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has been charged with corruption which included receiving a lot of money from city services.
The mayor has been charged with 21 counts of public corruption including four counts of filing false tax returns, nine counts of wire fraud, six counts of bribery and one count each of conspiracy and money laundering.
"Nagin used his public office and his official capacity to provide favorable treatment that benefited the business and financial interests of individuals providing him with bribery or kickback payoffs in the form of checks, cash, granite inventory, wire transfers, personal services and free travel," the indictment said.
Nagin and his sons, Jeremy and Jarin, owned a countertop company called Stone Age LLC. that provided granite for projects such as kitchen remodeling. The indictment also stated that Nagin also received granite and money as bribes.
While serving as mayor from 2002 to 2010, Nagin created quite a controversy when Hurricane Katrina struck and he made a statement that suggest the federal officials should "get off your asses" and do something for the thousands of people who were affected by the storm.
"This is, if true, a betrayal of the public trust that really started before Katrina," said Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission Inc, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting corruption in Louisiana. "Is it any wonder that New Orleans is still struggling to recover from the catastrophic effects of that storm when the person that was supposed to be championing the city's recovery was more interested in lining his own pockets?"
Nagin's attorney, Jenkins did not comment to the charges immediately.
"This indictment should serve as a reminder to current and former public officials that ... the FBI pursues corruption even after an official leaves office," Michael Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's New Orleans Field Office, said in a statement.
