Clarence Raymond Joseph Nagin Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former politician who was the 60th Mayor of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

, from 2002 to 2010. A Democrat, Nagin became internationally known in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Nagin was first elected as mayor in March 2002.Louisiana Secretary of State Election Results, March 2, 2002, Mayor City of New Orleans. He was re-elected in 2006 when the election was held with at least two-thirds of New Orleans citizens still displaced after Katrina struck. Term-limited by law, he left office on May 3, 2010. After leaving office, Nagin founded CRN Initiatives LLC, a firm that focuses on

emergency preparedness Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...

green energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenho ...

product development, publishing, and public speaking. He wrote and self-published ''Katrina Secrets: Storms after the Storms''. In 2014, Nagin was convicted on twenty of twenty-one charges of wire fraud,

bribery Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Co ...

, and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdiction ...

related to bribes from city contractors before and after KatrinaLive coverage: Ray Nagin convicted, guilty on 20 charges , NOLA.com
/ref> and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison.

Early life and career

Nagin was born on June 11, 1956, in New Orleans' Charity Hospital, to a family of modest means. His childhood was typical of that of urban youth, and his father held two jobs: a janitor at New Orleans City Hall by night and a fabric cutter at a clothing factory by day. After the factory shut down, his father became a fleet mechanic at a local dairy to earn sufficient pay to support his family. His mother was employed as manager of a

Kmart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inco ...

in-store restaurant. The family lived on Allen Street in the 7th Ward, followed by a stay near their family parish, St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in

Tremé Tremé ( ) is a neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana. "Tremé" is often rendered as Treme, and the neighborhood is sometimes called by its more formal French name, Faubourg Tremé; it is listed in the New Orleans City Planning Districts as Tre ...

, and then a move to the Cutoff section of Algiers. Nagin attended St. Augustine High School and O. Perry Walker High School, where he played basketball and baseball. He enrolled at

historically black Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was ...

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee () is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1833 by General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and made the county seat that year. It was incorporated in 1843. ...

, on a baseball scholarship, played on championship teams, and graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in Accounting in 1978. He became a

Certified Public Accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Sta ...

. After graduating from college, he went to work in the purchasing department at General Motors in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. He moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

, then to

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

in 1981 to take Internal Audit Manager and Division Controller jobs with Associates Corporation. In 1982, Nagin married Seletha Smith, a New Orleans native. Together, they have three children. In 1985, Nagin returned to New Orleans to become the controller of Cox New Orleans, the city's cable television franchise, run by the Cox media conglomerate. The franchise had a history of customer complaints, low profits, and stagnant growth, and was one of the poorest-performing components within Cox. Nagin was quickly promoted to general manager. In 1989, he was appointed to oversee all of Cox properties in south Louisiana as vice-president and general manager of Cox Louisiana, earning $400,000 annually, according to CNBC's "

American Greed ''American Greed'' (also known as ''American Greed: Scams, Scoundrels and Scandals'' and as ''American Greed: Scams, Schemes and Broken Dreams'') is an American documentary television series on CNBC. The series focuses on cases of Ponzi schemes, ...

". In 1993, Nagin enrolled in the executive MBA program at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pu ...

. Nagin also lobbied at the local, State, and Federal government levels, as many of the businesses he managed were regulated and required formal franchise renewals. His public profile was high because he hosted a twice-weekly television call-in show for customers. In 1995, Nagin received the Young Leadership Council Diversity and Role Model Award and later sat on the boards of the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way o ...

and

Covenant House Covenant House is a large, Catholic, privately funded agency in the Americas, whose primary purpose is to promote Catholicism. It provides shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and other services to homeless and runaway young people. Covenant Hou ...

. He also was one of the founders and president of

100 Black Men 100 Black Men of America is a men's civic organization and service club whose stated goal is to educate and empower African-American children and teens. As of 2009 the organization has 110 chapters and more than 10,000 members in different cit ...

of metro New Orleans, an affiliate of the national organization of black businessmen. Nagin was a partner in a group that brought the New Orleans Brass to the city. Nagin became the team's president and investors' spokesman as they secured the hockey franchise. The initial popularity of the team allowed the group to secure the 18,000-seat

New Orleans Arena Smoothie King Center (locally referred to as SKC) is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, New Orleans, Central Business District, adjacent to Caesar ...

as its home venue. That year, the local alternative newspaper ''

Gambit Weekly ''Gambit'' (formerly ''Gambit Weekly'') is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based free alternative weekly newspaper established in 1981. ''Gambit'' features reporting about local politics, news, food and drink, arts, music, film, events, environmental ...

'' named Nagin as its New Orleanian of the Year.

Political affiliation

Several news sources, including

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, have stated that Nagin was a registered Republican for most of his adult life, and a

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

supporter, but then switched to the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

shortly prior to seeking office in New Orleans. In 2004, he endorsed

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

for president. In a January 13, 2006 interview on the ''

Tavis Smiley Tavis Smiley (; born September 13, 1964) is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to ...

Show'', Nagin denied this, stating that he "never was a Republican" and that he has been a "life-long Democrat", and several news organizations that reported he was originally a Republican were forced to issue retractions. However, he periodically gave contributions to candidates of both parties, including Representative

Billy Tauzin Wilbert Joseph Tauzin II (; born June 14, 1943) is an American lobbyist and politician. He was President and CEO of PhRMA, a pharmaceutical company lobby group. Tauzin was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1980 to ...

in 1999 and 2000, as well as Democratic Senators

John Breaux John Berlinger Breaux (; born March 1, 1944) is an American lobbyist, attorney, and retired politician who was a member of the United States Senate from Louisiana from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives ...

and J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. earlier in the decade. Nagin endorsed conservative Republican

Bobby Jindal Piyush "Bobby" Jindal (born June 10, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016. The only living former Louisiana governor, Jindal also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives ...

over conservative Democratic

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Kathleen Blanco Kathleen Marie Blanco (née Babineaux; December 15, 1942 – August 18, 2019) was an American politician who served as the 54th Governor of Louisiana from January 2004 to January 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first and, t ...

in the 2003

runoff Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to: * RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program * Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed * Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...

for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

2002 mayoral election

Nagin entered the race for mayor on the final day of qualifying. Shortly before the primary mayoral election, on January 17, 2002, the '' New Orleans Times Picayune'' and ''

'' endorsed Nagin. In the first round of the mayoral election in February 2002, Nagin won first place with 29 percent of the vote. Some of his opponents were the Police Chief

Richard Pennington Richard Pennington (November 26, 1946 – May 4, 2017) served as Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1994 to 2002 and Chief of the Atlanta Police Department in Atlanta, Georgia from 2002 to 2010 ...

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 ...

Paulette Irons Paulette Riley Irons (born 1952 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is New Orleans civil district court judge for Division M. In November 1994 she became the second female member of the Louisiana Senate. She served in the chamber until the end of the sta ...

, and City Councilman

Troy Carter Troy Carter may refer to: *Troy Carter (physicist) (born 1973), American plasma physicist *Troy Carter (politician) (born 1963), American politician *Troy Carter (talent manager) (born 1972), American music talent manager Fictional characters *2nd ...

. In the runoff on Saturday, March 2, 2002, Nagin defeated

with 59 percent of the votes to become the 60th mayor of New Orleans.

First term

The 2004 ''Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the City of New Orleans'', as certified by CPA firm KPMG, highlighted many significant accomplishments of the Nagin administration. New Orleans gained 4,500 jobs that year. U.S. Census Bureau figures showed about 38,000 New Orleanians had risen out of poverty as the national average increased. According to ''The American City Business Journal'', per capita income in New Orleans was rising at the fastest rate in the nation. ''Southern Business and Development'' named New Orleans number eight on the list of "comeback kids" in the south. New Orleans had back-to-back record tourist years, 10.1 million in 2004. A Yahoo/''

National Geographic Traveler ''National Geographic Traveler'' is a magazine published by NG Media in Armenia, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Latin America, Israel, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and the UK. The US ...

'' poll named the city its number one family destination. Since 2002, the area had seen over $400 million of film productions, including movies like the Oscar award-winning '' Ray'', starring

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

, and ''All the King's Men'', featuring

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama '' Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televis ...

. According to ''

MovieMaker Magazine ''MovieMaker'' is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking with a special emphasis on independent film. The magazine is published on a quarterly basis. See also * List of film periodicals Reference ...

'', New Orleans was the fourth-best place to film a movie and had earned the title "Hollywood South". In November 2004, the Nagin administration passed the city's largest bond issue, $260 million. New Orleans also jumped from 69th to 38th on

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the devel ...

's list of "Most Wired Cities". The city's website went from being unranked to the 4th best in the nation. As

Hurricane Ivan Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atl ...

threatened the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

in September 2004, Nagin urged New Orleanians to prepare for the storm. He advised those planning to stay not only to stock up on food and water, but also to make sure they had "an axe in the attic", a reference to the many people trapped in their attics by rising floodwaters when

Hurricane Betsy Hurricane Betsy was an intense and destructive tropical cyclone that brought widespread damage to areas of Florida and the central United States Gulf Coast in September 1965. The storm's erratic nature, coupled with its intensity and mi ...

hit the city in 1965. Nagin issued a voluntary evacuation call at 6:00p.m. on September30th, leading to heavy interstate traffic as some 600,000 metro New Orleanians left. Ultimately, the hurricane missed the city, landing in the United States in Florida and Alabama.

Hurricane Katrina

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina entered the

. Early on Friday, August 26, Mayor Nagin advised New Orleanians to keep a close eye on the storm and prepare for evacuation. He then made several public statements encouraging people to leave but promising that if they did not evacuate, " will take care of you". By 10:00a.m. Saturday, a mandatory evacuation was called for low-lying areas in the surrounding parishes— St. Charles, St. Tammany,

Plaquemines Plaquemines Parish (; French: ''Paroisse de Plaquemine'', Louisiana French: ''Paroisse des Plaquemines'', es, Parroquia de Caquis) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 23,515 at the 2020 census, the parish ...

, and Jefferson—and a voluntary evacuation for St. Bernard Parish. Nagin had, however, ignored federal and state offers of help and a recommendation to evacuate the entire city. In addition to the parishes' announcements, President

declared a federal

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

for Louisiana. In accordance with the regional evacuation plan, New Orleans, along with the surrounding areas of Jefferson and St. Charles parishes, were given formal voluntary evacuation orders around 50 hours from Katrina's landfall. This phased approach along with " contraflow", wherein all incoming interstate highway lanes are reversed outward, ensured that additional vehicles moving onto already congested roads would not create massive gridlock. The local newspaper reported that Nagin stopped short of ordering a mandatory evacuation because of concerns about the city's liability for closing hotels and other businesses. After receiving a late night Saturday call from

Max Mayfield Britt Max Mayfield (born September 19, 1948) is an American meteorologist who served as the director of the National Hurricane Center from 2000 to 2007. As director, Mayfield became a trusted voice in preparing for weather-related disasters, par ...

, head of the

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/ National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...

, Nagin was advised that Katrina was headed to New Orleans. He ordered the city attorney to prepare legal documents for a mandatory evacuation of the city, the first in New Orleans' almost 300-year history. On Sunday, August 28 at 9:30 a.m., the mandatory evacuation order was signed and communicated to the public. The Superdome was opened as a shelter of last resort, and police went throughout the city with loudspeakers alerting all remaining citizens to head to key pickup points for free bus rides. By Sunday evening 80% of New Orleanians and visitors were evacuated or relocated.Nagin, C. R (2011), ''Katrina's Secrets: Storms after the Storm'' After the hurricane hit, the federally built and maintained levees collapsed throughout the city. 80% of the city flooded, some areas as high as 20 feet, over rooftops. Food and water became scarce, and looting was common. After hearing reports of this, Nagin criticized the federal and state response on WWL radio, and his passionate outburst went viral. In response to a question at a

town hall meeting Town hall meetings, also referred to as town halls or town hall forums, are a way for local and national politicians to meet with their constituents either to hear from them on topics of interest or to discuss specific upcoming legislation or ...

in October 2005, Nagin said: "I can see in your eyes, you want to know, ' w do I take advantage of this incredible opportunity? How do I make sure New Orleans is not overrun with Mexican workers?'" Some Hispanic groups, including the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, criticized Nagin's statement, although those attending the town hall meeting reportedly applauded—many believing jobs should first go to locals displaced by the hurricane. Despite this comment, Nagin went on to say this was the city's biggest economic opportunity and urged New Orleanians to get more comfortable working beside someone who did not look like them, as everyone's help was needed. During a subsequent interview on Telemundo with

Jose Diaz-Balart Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galil ...

, Nagin praised the great work Hispanic workers did in New Orleans and said the city would not have recovered without them.

"Chocolate City" speech

Shortly after Katrina devastated New Orleans, there were calls for moratoriums on rebuilding certain neighborhoods. Two weeks after Katrina struck, Nagin took a weekend trip to Dallas to reunite with his family. While there, he was asked to meet with leading New Orleans businessmen to discuss the city's future. Nagin says he made it clear at the meeting that everyone had a right to return home, a claim contradicted by some businessmen in attendance. Many of the initial proposals to rebuild New Orleans focused on rebuilding areas with the highest likelihood of economic return. Many groups expressed concern that this might radically change the racial make-up of the city. The land deemed most economically viable was mostly city land above sea-level, in which the most economically-advantaged and white citizens resided; the majority of New Orleanians, especially black residents, lived in the outer edges of the city, where land was mostly below sea-level and deemed less economically viable. Nagin disavowed such proposals, and in response to residents' concerns, he used the phrase "Chocolate City" to signal that New Orleans would remain a majority black city. He first used the phrase during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration speech in New Orleans on January 16, 2006 and repeated the metaphor several times. This was seized upon and parodied by some commentators, cartoons, and merchandising. Various designs of T-shirts with satirical depictions of Nagin as

Willy Wonka Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' and its 1972 sequel '' Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator''. He is the eccentric founder and propriet ...

were sold in the city and on the Internet. Nagin also said that New Orleans "will be a majority African-American city because this was what God wants it to be." Some people found the implication of Nagin claiming to know God's will to be as troubling as the racial aspects of his speech. He then condemned Washington D.C., by saying God "sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country", suggesting God's disapproval of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In an interview with

broadcast on Public Radio International on January 13, 2006, Nagin said he used the phrase "chocolate city" in reference to a time in the 1970s when African Americans were just starting to exercise political power in places like Washington, D.C. The term had been used in many of Nagin's previous speeches and welcoming addresses to visitors of the city. The idea reportedly originated with the song " Chocolate City" by the popular 1970s funk group

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

2006 mayoral election

At the time of the 2006 election, at least two-thirds of New Orleans' residents were still displaced. One candidate said in his ''Times Picayune'' interview he was running because the city's demographics had dramatically changed. There were three unsuccessful lawsuits filed to prevent delaying the original election date. In the April 22 election, Nagin was the front runner with 38% of the vote. Louisiana Lieutenant Governor

Mitch Landrieu Mitchell Joseph Landrieu ( ; born August 16, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician who served as Mayor of New Orleans from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 2004 to ...

came in second with 29%. Nagin and Landrieu faced each other in a run-off election on May 20, 2006. Nagin defeated Landrieu 52% to 48%.

Second term

Nagin's second term began on June 1, 2006. He was intensely criticized by the local media throughout this term. For example, his "100-day plan" to accelerate the rebuilding of New Orleans was bashed for what critics said was a tardy release, lack of details and activity in moving forward. Nagin administration spokesperson

Rob Couhig Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ...

backed away from a 100-day promise, stating that it was not meant as a "time period," but as a short-range initiative to improve quality-of-life issues. Delays in FEMA reimbursements and federal recovery dollars reaching the city caused many significant delays. He was also a member of the

Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition Everytown for Gun Safety is an American nonprofit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence. Everytown was created in 2013 when Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America joined force ...

, an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a c ...

and Boston mayor

Thomas Menino Thomas Michael Menino (December 27, 1942 – October 30, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 53rd mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three ...

. In 2006, Nagin was also criticized for devoting time to extensive lobbying in Washington, DC and a national speaking tour. Nagin's administration said this was necessary in order to correct inaccurate perceptions of New Orleans and secure recovery support. In addition during 2007, a drastic increase in the city's violent crime rate led to more criticism of Nagin. Nagin called for and got help from the Louisiana National Guard and U.S. Justice Department. However, Nagin continued to be heavily criticized by the local newspaper. He reignited complaints when he said news of two killings should keep focus on the city's needs for more help and, "while sad, keeps the New Orleans brand out there." Nagin hired recovery expert Dr. Ed Blakely in 2007 to head up a dedicated Office of Recovery Management. The Rockefeller, Ford and Bill & Melinda Gates foundations provided grants for critical staff enhancements. During the end of 2007 and into 2008 Nagin guided the city through an extensive planning process that documented a $14 billion need. However, the state only allocated 2% of the plan and it took almost three years to receive any of these federal recovery dollars. By years 4 and 5, New Orleans made significant progress toward recovery. 85% of all city managed recovery projects were either recently completed, under construction, or in final design. By the end of 2009, there were over $20 billion in public & private sector construction related projects underway. ''Business Week'' said New Orleans was one of the best cities in America to ride out the great recession. ''Money'' Magazine ranked the city as the sixth-fastest-growing real estate market. ''Outside'' Magazine said New Orleans was the 20th best town in American to live in. The U.S. Department of Labor in its April 2010 report said New Orleans had the lowest unemployment in the nation. Prior to leaving office in 2010, Nagin was appointed by Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...

to head the United States delegation to a state and local governments conference on assistance to post-earthquake

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

held in

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island and an Overseas department and region, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of ...

. A recovery plan was completed and presented to donor nations resulting in Haiti receiving billions in pledges.

Corruption allegations, indictments, and convictions

On April 7, 2009, the ''Times-Picayune'' alleged a conflict of interest with regard to a trip Nagin took to Hawaii in 2004. The vacation Nagin, then-chief technology officer Greg Meffert, and their families took in 2004 was claimed to be partially paid for by Meffert, but years later it was revealed that Meffert used a contractor's credit card to pay for Nagin's plane ticket. David Hammer of the ''Times-Picayune'' reported on April 23, 2009, that Nagin had taken "plenty of other trips" at the expense of NetMethods, a company owned by city vendor Mark St. Pierre. In April 2009, Nagin was obliged "to sit for a deposition as part of a civil lawsuit over the city's controversial crime camera program." The ''Times-Picayune'' had obtained information that Mark St. Pierre, who allegedly paid for the holiday, had made substantial donations to Nagin's 2006 re-election campaign. Meffert was later charged with 63 felony counts in what authorities say "was a lucrative kickback scheme." All but two of the counts were subsequently dropped, and Meffert eventually pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit

wire fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical or electronic mail system to defraud another, and are federal crimes there. Jurisdiction is claimed by the federal government if the illegal activit ...

and one count of filing a false income tax return. In April 2010, as a result of a FOIA request from a New Orleans news station, Nagin was investigated for destroying his official city emails. After a forensic investigation by computer forensics firm SunBlock Systems, 5,400 emails were recovered. Many of these emails were subsequently used as evidence in his 2013 criminal trial. In June 2012, Frank Fradella, who was facing major securities fraud charges, pleaded guilty in New Orleans federal court to one count of conspiracy to bribe a public official. According to ''The Times-Picayune'', Fradella claims to have paid $50,000 and delivered truckloads of free granite to Nagin's sons' business in exchange for favorable treatment for Fradella's companies with city contracts. On January 18, 2013, Nagin was indicted on 21 corruption charges, including wire fraud,

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agr ...

, bribery,

, and filing false tax returns related to bribes from city contractors. The 21-count federal corruption charges were issued by a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a ...

. On February 20, 2013, Nagin pleaded not guilty in federal court to all charges. Despite New Orleans' long history of political corruption, Nagin was the first mayor to be criminally charged for corruption in office. Nagin was convicted on 20 of the 21 counts by jury on February 12, 2014. These charges included that he had taken more than $500,000 in payouts from businessmen in exchange for millions of dollars' worth of city contracts.

Incarceration

Judge

Helen Ginger Berrigan Helen Georgena Roberts Berrigan (born April 15, 1948), known professionally as Helen Ginger Berrigan and Ginger Berrigan, is an inactive Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisia ...

ordered a pre-sentencing investigation. On July 9, 2014, Nagin was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, and more than $585,000 in restitution and forfeiture. Berrigan recommended that Nagin be sent to the

Federal Correctional Complex, Oakdale The Federal Correctional Complex, Oakdale (FCC Oakdale) is a United States federal prison complex for male inmates in Louisiana. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice, and consists ...

. On July 15, 2014, Nagin's attorney filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Nagin lost another appeal of his case in July 2019. On September 3, 2014, a judge deemed Nagin indigent and ordered the Federal Public Defender's Office to take over his appeal. Nagin said he was near penniless and relying on food stamps. Nagin reported to the

Federal Correctional Institution, Texarkana The Federal Correctional Institution, Texarkana (FCI Texarkana) is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Bowie County, Texas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United State ...

, a prison camp, on September 8, 2014. Nagin was assigned as prisoner

Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice that is responsible for the care, custody, and control of incarcerated individuals who have committed federal crimes; that i ...

(BOP) #32751-034. The terms of the sentencing include a possible release date of no earlier than May 25, 2023. However, in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

spreading in the prison, authorities released Nagin to

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if ...

on April 27, 2020.

References

External links

*
Biography
at CityMayors.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagin, Ray 1956 births African-American mayors in Louisiana African-American sports executives and administrators American sports executives and administrators American accountants American company founders American people convicted of tax crimes American politicians convicted of bribery American politicians convicted of fraud Businesspeople from New Orleans Businesspeople from Texas Freeman School of Business alumni Hurricane Katrina Living people Louisiana Creole people Louisiana Democrats Louisiana politicians convicted of crimes Mayors of New Orleans Tulane University alumni Tuskegee University alumni African-American Catholics