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The former New Orleans mayor who was in office during the city’s devastating Hurricane Katrina disaster has been found guilty of corruption for taking thousands of dollars in bribes.

A jury deliberated for six and a half hours before passing down the guilty verdict to Ray Nagin, 57. Although there has not been a date set for sentencing, Nagin faces up to 20 years in prison without parole.

Via the AP:

Prosecutors in the federal corruption case alleged Nagin took bribes worth more than $500,000 through various criminal acts, starting before Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and continuing through the storm’s recovery.

Nagin was indicted in January 2013 on charges he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and accepted loads of free granite for his family business, in exchange for promoting the interests of a New Orleans businessman.

Nagin, a Democrat who was mayor for two terms from 2002 to 2010, denied he took any bribes. He faced a 21-count indictment, and was found guilty of 20 counts. The counts ranged from conspiracy to filing a false tax return.

One of the most egregious charges Nagin was found guilty of was accepting $60,000 from an engineering firm, Three Fold Consulting, in exchange for special treatment. The lone charge he was found not guilty of was a separate bribery charge: accepting a $10,000 bribe arranged by a principal in Three Fold Consultants.

Maybe he should have admitted to smoking crack and all would be forgiven?

Photo: WENN