NEW ORLEANS (AP) —
Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was indicted Friday on charges that
he used his office for personal gain, accepting payoffs, free trips and
gratuities from contractors while the city was struggling to recover
from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
The charges against Nagin are the
outgrowth of a City Hall corruption investigation that already has
resulted in guilty pleas by two former city officials and two
businessmen and a prison sentence for a former city vendor.
The federal indictment accuses
Nagin of accepting more than $160,000 in bribes and truckloads of free
granite for his family business in exchange for promoting the interests
of a local businessman who secured millions of dollars in city contract work after the 2005 hurricane. The businessman,
Frank Fradella, pleaded guilty in June to bribery conspiracy and securities-fraud charges and has been cooperating with federal authorities.
Nagin, 56, also is charged with
accepting at least $60,000 in payoffs from another businessman, Rodney
Williams, for his help in securing city contracts
for architectural, engineering and management services work. Williams,
who was president of Three Fold Consultants LLC, pleaded guilty Dec. 5
to a conspiracy charge.
The indictment also accuses Nagin
of getting free private jet and limousine services to New York from an
unidentified businessman. Nagin is accused of agreeing to wave tax
penalties that the businessman owed to the city on a delinquent tax bill
in 2006. (Continues)
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