This morning (July 9), former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was sentenced to 10 years in priso after being convicted of bribery, money laundering and other corruption charges.
“Mr. Nagin’s crimes were motivated in part by a deeply misguided desire to provide for those closest to him,” US District Judge Helen Berrigan said. According to the article, Nagin said that he would “trust in God that this would all work out.”
Ray became nationally known for raging against the slow, incompetent federal response to his crippled city’s plight.
“Excuse my French — everybody in America — but I am pissed,” he shouted during a radio appearance three days after Hurricane Katrina swamped the Crescent City.
It’s always sad to see minority politicians go down because they’re still rare. This case is especially sad because even the judge couldn’t villainize him. “Mr. Nagin was not the organizer or leader of the group,” Berrigan said. At times, she said, the crimes appeared to be motivated by a desire to impress and provide for his loved ones, something “less than ordinary greed.”
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