Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is set to be sentenced Wednesday morning for corruption. the man who gained national attention after Hurricane Katrina nine years ago is now looking at a possible 20-year sentence. Prosecutors want the maximum allowed under federal guidelines.
Former Mayor Nagin became a national figure when he shouted in a radio interview in 2005 about getting help to the flooded city.
The Democrat was in his first term when the storm left New Orleans in chaos. He was re-elected, and left office in 2010. Nagin was indicted three years later.
Federal prosecutors alleged he sought bribes from contractors in exchange for city business. They say conspiracies flourished after storm-recovery funds swept into the city. A jury convicted him in February of 20 counts, and he was ordered to repay the half-million dollars jurors determined he pocketed.
Nagin’s attorney says the proposed 20 years amounts to a life sentence for the 58-year-old disgraced mayor.
