NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin will have to pay the government more than $501,000 as a result of his conviction on bribery and other charges, a federal judge said Tuesday.
Nagin was convicted in February on 20 counts including bribery, fraud, money laundering and conspiracy during his two terms as mayor. The Democrat served from 2002 to 2010 and was known his impassioned pleas for help for the city after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.
Prosecutors said Nagin received more than $501,000 in money, goods and services from businessmen in exchange for lucrative work early in his tenure as mayor, and as the city sought to rebuild in the aftermath of the catastrophic hurricane. Nagin’s attorney, Robert Jenkins, said the amount should be less because Nagin shared liability with others, but U.S. District Judge Helen Berrigan agreed with prosecutors in the forfeiture judgment.
The charges Nagin was convicted of carry a variety of maximum sentences ranging from three to 20 years. Nagin, 57, is set to be sentenced June 11, but he is seeking a delay. His lawyer said he needs more time to respond to a pre-sentence investigation.
In the corruption investigation of City Hall, a former city vendor was convicted and two businessmen pleaded guilty. Nagin’s former technology chief also pleaded guilty in connection with the case and testified against Nagin.
Nagin was indicted three years after he left office. At his trial, Nagin testified that key witnesses lied and prosecutors misinterpreted evidence including emails, checks and pages from his appointment calendar linking him to businessmen who said they bribed him.
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