Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is due to report to federal prison today (Monday 9/8) to begin serving his 10-year sentence for corruption during the years following his NOLA’s devastation from Hurricane Katrina.
In 2005, Katrina overwhelmed levees and flooded 80 percent of New Orleans, killing 1,500 people and causing some $80 billion in damage. Nagin is due to serve his time at a federal prison in Texarkana, Texas.
The former Mayor plans to appeal his conviction. He has said in court filings that he is nearly penniless, and has been granted a court-appointed lawyer. The onetime cable company executive who served as New Orleans’ mayor from 2002-2010 was convicted on 20 criminal counts including bribery, conspiracy and money laundering, all tied to payments he received for granting city contracts.
Under federal sentencing rules, Nagin would serve about 8-1/2 years in prison with good behavior.
