Increase in Public Corruption Cases in New Orleans

The number of public corruption cases here has more than quintupled, sparked by a federal crackdown on post-Katrina wrongdoings and a billboard campaign urging residents to expose crooked politics and payoffs, the FBI said.

Federal statistics show that 171 people in the metropolitan area have been indicted on public corruption charges from 2003 through mid-September of this year, said Howard Schwartz, supervisory special agent for public corruption in the FBI's New Orleans' office. More than 80% were convicted or pleaded guilty to charges including bribery and fraud.

The upsurge in indictments is partly the result of corruption fueled by the enticement of billions of federal and state dollars flooding the region after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Schwartz said. Nationally, the number of pending public corruption cases has increased 49% since 2001.

Schwartz said the increased New Orleans numbers are mostly due to a bolstered federal crackdown, an aggressive public awareness campaign and more people offering tips on offenders.

The majority of those indicted were elected or appointed officials, ranging from police officers to a former school board president to city councilmen, Schwartz said.

Over the previous five years, 31 people were indicted in New Orleans corruption cases — meaning the figures have spiked 452%, Schwartz said.

The FBI crackdown is unprecedented in a region long plagued by corruption in public office and which for more than 50 years has had a citizens crime commission aimed at ferreting out political payoffs and shakedowns. Each year, local and federal prosecutors indict public officials, including police officers, teachers, judges and highway officials — but nothing compares to the past five years, said Ed Renwick, head of the Institute of Politics at Loyola University.

"There's never been that much time and energy into trying to do something about it," he said. "They're putting away a lot of people."

Some local officials said they hope the rest of the nation doesn't overreact to the news.

"I'm in complete agreement of ferreting out public corruption wherever possible," said J.P. Morrell, a state representative from New Orleans. "But I don't want to create an environment where all public officials are automatically perceived to be corrupt. … It's not a witch hunt yet, but I could see how it could turn into that."

The vast majority of public officials in Louisiana are law-abiding public servants, said James Bernazzani, the FBI's special agent in charge in New Orleans, but a handful are involved in a corruption culture that has deep roots in the region.

The FBI office here has launched a public awareness campaign that includes radio announcements and town hall meetings to coax more whistle-blowers and warn public officials not to break the law, Bernazzani said. Investigators receive five to 25 tips a week.

The most publicized bust has been the arrest in August of Oliver Thomas, a popular city councilman. Thomas pleaded guilty to accepting nearly $20,000 in bribes from a city hall vendor.

Bernazzani promised more to follow. "We have some ongoing investigations, as we speak," he said. "Once they come up, they'll rock the city again."