Former New Orleans Mayor Found Guilty of Bribery, Wire Fraud

Ray Nagin faces years in prison

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Jonathan Bachman / AP

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin arrives at the Hale Boggs Federal Building in New Orleans on Jan. 27, 2014.

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was found guilty of bribery and wire fraud on Wednesday, closing the book on a corruption scandal that marred his political legacy.

A jury found Nagin, who led the city during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, guilty on five counts of bribery and all nine counts of wire fraud, following two days of deliberation, the Times-Picayune reports. Each of the five counts of bribery, which involved vendors to the city, have maximum prison terms of ten years. Nagin had been indicted on 21-counts, including six counts of bribery, nine counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering conspiracy, after being accused of accepting thousands of dollars worth of bribes during his two mayoral terms.

The corruption probe has already led to convictions and guilty pleas from others involved. Nagin testified last week that  hadn’t taken bribes while in office. He was also found guilty of four counts of filing a false tax return and one count of conspiracy.

[Times-Picayune]