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 A jury of six men and six women convicted Nagin on 20 of 21
counts, including bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, money laundering
and tax evasion. It acquitted him on one bribery count.
A sentencing hearing has been set for June 11. Nagin, 57, faces at
least 20 years in jail, according to legal experts.
Prosecutors said the combined value of the bribes, which included
lavish personal parties, private jet rides and first-class airfare
for a Nagin family shopping trip to New York, totaled more than
$500,000.
U.S. District Judge Helen Berrigan told Nagin, after reading the
verdict in court, that she is modifying the terms of his bond to
require that he submit to "location monitoring" and be subject to
home detention until his sentencing.
During the 10-day trial, the jury heard from some 30 prosecution
witnesses, including a City Hall insider and contractors who earlier
pleaded guilty to bribing public officials and are awaiting
sentencing.
Prosecutors described Nagin as a mayor on the take, granting favors
for bribes that included tons of free granite delivered to a kitchen
countertop company he ran with his sons.
"Our public servants pledge to provide honest services to the people
of Southeast Louisiana. We are committed to bringing any politician
who violates that obligation to justice," U.S. Attorney Kenneth
Allen Polite Jr., said in a statement.
Nagin showed no obvious initial reaction as the verdict was read.
Seated behind him, his wife Seletha sobbed quietly. As he and his
lawyer left the courtroom, a then nearly tearful Nagin paused
briefly to clutch her hand.
Nagin had spent several hours on the witness stand during which he
flatly denied taking bribes and insisted any money he put into his
sons' business was an investment.
"Like any father, I wanted to help my sons," he told jurors.
Nagin's defense questioned the credibility of those who testified
against the former mayor in exchange for what might be lighter
prison sentences.
Asked by a reporter if Nagin is likely to appeal the verdict, his
lawyer Robert Jenkins said: "Of course."
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"NAUSEATING" GRAFT
A former cable TV executive who rode a wave of support into office
in 2002 on promises to run an ethical government, Nagin won
re-election four years later. According to prosecutors, he
immediately began conspiring to extract money from contractors to
fund the floundering business run by his sons Jeremy and Jarin
Nagin.
A grand jury indictment returned in January 2013 said the former
mayor accepted gifts that included some $200,000 in cash and wire
transfers, free vacations for him and his family to Hawaii and
Jamaica and the truckloads of granite.
Commenting after the verdict, the head of a local watchdog agency
said justice had been served.
"What we just saw displayed to the public was a nauseating case of
abuse of public power for personal enrichment," said Rafael
Goyeneche, president of the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime
Commission.
Nagin, who now lives in Frisco, Texas, stirred national controversy
with his erratic behavior after Katrina broke floodwalls and
inundated New Orleans, killing 1,500 people and leaving tens of
thousands of people homeless.
Days after the storm, an angry Nagin chided federal officials to
"get off your asses" and send help to the city.
Later, as he sought re-election in 2006, Nagin, an African-American
who previously enjoyed strong support from both black and white
voters, seemed to take a racially divisive approach to his campaign.
He was criticized for racial divisiveness after he urged residents
to rebuild a "chocolate New Orleans," referring to its majority
African-American population.
(Reporting by Kathy Finn; writing by Jon Herskovitz;
editing by
Jonathan Oatis, Bernard Orr)
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