(Former New Orleans Mayor) Ray Nagin is focus of federal grand jury probe

New Orleans Times-Picayune ^ | February 9, 2012` | David Hammer

[abb]

A federal grand jury is investigating whether city vendors gave former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin gratuities ranging from plane tickets to materials and equipment for his family's granite-countertop business and also helped the firm land an exclusive installation deal with a retailing giant while Nagin was in office, according to several sources close to the probe. The federal probe is zeroing in on Nagin along three parallel tracks: luxury travel and home maintenance provided by city technology vendors; a granite countertop installation contract that Nagin's family company got from The Home Depot; and the possibility that at least two businesses with City Hall dealings arranged for the delivery of free equipment or materials to the Nagin family's now-defunct firm. Ray NaginAssociated Press archiveThe federal probe apparently is zeroing in on former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin along three parallel tracks.

Nagin's lawyer, Harry Rosenberg, said he had "no comment on those notions." U.S. Attorney Jim Letten declined to comment.

Part of the case the government is building is well-established in the public record. Court documents and sworn testimony established long ago that Nagin and his family went to Hawaii in December 2004 on the nickel of city technology vendor Mark St. Pierre, who is now serving a 17-year prison sentence for bribing Nagin's chief technology officer, Greg Meffert.

Likewise, it's long been known that St. Pierre lined up a private jet and then paid for first-class airfare so the Nagins could vacation in Jamaica after Hurricane Katrina, and also provided a private yacht and plane tickets to Chicago for Nagin re-election campaign parties. And newspaper stories and court testimony showed that St. Pierre spent more than $1,000 on landscaping services at Nagin's home in the months after Katrina.

Snip

[Servant of the Cross]

LOL. Ray ‘Chocolate City’ Lootie!

[Recon Dad]

Having lived in New Orleans for 5 years the only thing I have read in this article that surprises me is the small timer they're purporting Nagin to be.
If I were looking into the matter I'd start out with the carpet in Nagin’s home, all the appliances there in. I knew a guy who carpeted “every home in Baton Rogue”.

Go back and look at the contractors on rebuilding the Super Dome, must have been a feeding frenzy.

[DeaconRed]

He will have a hard time blaming Bush on this one.
No I said that wrong.
Bush did it won't work this time! ! ! ! ! ! !

[TheOldLady]

Click a Kitty         Thank you, JoeProBono

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[rockabyebaby]

Mr. Chocolate Mayor of the Chocolate City looks to be up to his eyeballs in chocolate-colored doo-doo.

OMG, LMAO! Thanks for the laugh!

[corbe]

Next up Sen. Landreau, we can hope right?

[taterjay]

offers his best Hurricane advice.

Lootie needs to make an appearance on any Nagin thread ....

Glad to see the return of Looter Guy. Hooray!

[trebb]

Maybe they paid him off in chocolates...

[rstrahan]

Ya think he got kickback? OF COURSE HE DID! Kickbacks have been a way of life in New Orleans forever. You had to pay a kickback to get a building permit, you had to pay a kickback when you got a car inspection from the New Orleans car inspectors (had their own inspectors), you paid a kickback to the cops if you are a business owner, and so on. Just surprised that they are actually investigating him since he is a “friend of O”.

[Gideon7]

 

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Buses? What buses?

[af_vet_rr]

Ray Nagin
Democrat
Louisiana

Bingo, we have a winner! And Nagin is not the first Democrat from Louisiana I'd investigate. Lot of folks in politics have families that get rich in that state...