Ray Nagin pleads not guilty to 21 bribery-related charges, avoids comment

[DonViejo]

Source: The Times-Picayune

Making his first public appearance in New Orleans since he was hit with a sweeping federal bribery indictment last month, former Mayor Ray Nagin appeared at federal court Wednesday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to the 21 charges he faces. Nagin, dressed in a dark suit and accompanied by his lawyer, Robert Jenkins, entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Shushan.

On his way into and out of the courthouse, Nagin was surrounded by a scrum of reporters, some of them shouting questions at him. He stoically declined to acknowledge any of the questions; the only comment he made was to tell a fast-backpedaling cameraman that he was about to bang into a stanchion.

Inside the courtroom, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Coman briefly ran through the litany of charges Nagin faces and explained the maximum penalties for each. Shushan read each count and asked the former mayor to enter a plea; 21 times, Nagin said "Not guilty," nodding his head at times for emphasis.

Like virtually everyone facing federal white-collar crime charges, Nagin will remain free until his trial. His bond was set at $100,000 with travel limited to Texas and Louisiana. He was also ordered to surrender his passport, and not to have any contact with any possible witnesses in the case. Trial has been set for April 29; the case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan.

Read more: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/02/former_mayor_ray_nagin_pleads.html

[iandhr]

1. Is there any former mayor of NOLA who hasn't been indictied

[Harry Monroe]

2. Most mayors of New Orleans have not been indicted for anything

You must be thinking about Congressmen or Governors of Louisiana

Anyway, here's a list. Knock yourself out trying to find the ones that were indicted. There are very few.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mayors_of_New_Orleans

[iandhr]

3. I was kind of joking.

[Harry Monroe]

4. Funny thing about Nagin...

He was a former Republican. He only became a Democrat so he would have a shot of winning the mayor's office in a heavily Democratic city. He also was a supporter of President Bush (lot of good it did him in 2005 when Katrina struck)

"He did not seek any other public office prior to his election in 2002. More controversially, Nagin had actually been a registered Republican for most of his adult life, having switched to the Democrats shortly before seeking office, for which his candidacy was branded as opportunistic in the solidly Democrat city. Nagin was, at that time, a known supporter of U.S. President George W. Bush, having contributed to the president’s campaign. Nagin entered the New Orleans mayoral race a political unknown but emerged through the middle of a crowded field of known Democrats, securing vital cross-party and in-party endorsements for his populist pledges to tackle city hall corruption and run the administration in a more business-like manner"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Nagin