Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has been convicted on 20 of the 21 corruption charges against him, most of them related to the recovery from Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Nagin was accused of creating a "scheme of artifice to defraud" New Orleans residents of his honest services, accepting kickbacks in the form of cash, gifts, and perks from various contractors. Among other things, Nagin was convicted of six counts of bribery, nine counts of wire fraud, and one of money laundering conspiracy. He was acquitted on a seventh bribery count.
Before the verdict, Nagin told the AP that he's "been at peace with this for a long time. I'm good." But as the counts were read, Nagin sat almost motionless, and he kept on sitting, staring straight ahead as the room began to clear. The full slate of charges could potentially land Nagin in jail for more than 20 years, NPR reports. He'll be free on bond until his sentencing, though he'll submit to home monitoring. (More Ray Nagin stories.)
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