INDReporter

T-P: feds investigating Nagin

by Leslie Turk

The Times-Picayune reported late Thursday night that former two-term New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is the subject of a federal corruption probe.

Citing sources close to the probe, The Times-Picayune's David Hammer filed a story late last night that a federal grand jury is investigating whether city vendors gave former Crescent City Mayor Ray Nagin gratuities ranging from plane tickets to materials and equipment for his family's granite countertop business and also helped the company land an exclusive installation deal with Home Depot while Nagin was in office.

The newspaper says the federal probe is focusing on three parallel tracks: luxury travel and home maintenance provided by city technology vendors; a granite countertop installation contract that Nagin's family company got from Home Depot; and the possibility that at least two businesses with City Hall dealings arranged for the delivery of free equipment or materials to the Nagin family's now-defunct firm.

The infamous former mayor's lawyer, Harry Rosenberg, told the newspaper he had "no comment on those notions," and U.S. Attorney Jim Letten declined to comment.

Read the T-P story here.