New Orleans politician pleads guilty to bribery

Legal News Center

[##_1L|1065504521.jpg|width="157" height="111" alt=""|_##]A prominent New Orleans politician pleaded guilty on Monday to federal corruption charges and resigned his seat on the City Council. Councilman Oliver Thomas, 50, admitted in court that he had accepted more than $18,000 dollars in kickbacks in 2002 in exchange for helping a businessman retain a lucrative city parking contract in the famed French Quarter.

"It was wrong and I accept full responsibility for this action," Thomas told a news conference. "I will continue to work for the city I love and I have made peace with my God."

Thomas, a councilman for 13 years and a leading voice for the recovery of the city from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, had been expected to be a strong candidate for mayor when the city picks a successor to Ray Nagin in 2010.

Before U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance, Thomas pleaded guilty to bribery and faces up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. However, he has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in an ongoing investigation into corruption in New Orleans.

"This guilty plea is a body blow to a community that is already reeling under a wave of public corruption," Vance said at the hearing. "If this city is ever to recover, we have to have an end to this kind of venality."

Thomas' troubles are the latest in a city and state, Louisiana, with a history of corruption in politics.

U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat from New Orleans, was indicted in June on corruption charges linked to business deals in Africa.

Investigators found $90,000 in cash in the freezer of his Washington-area home. Jefferson has denied any wrongdoing.

U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a Republican from the New Orleans suburbs, admitted last month to having committed a "very serious sin" after his number was found in the phone records of a woman accused of running a Washington prostitution ring.

Related listings

  • Judge: Super Bowl Funds OK for Churches

    Judge: Super Bowl Funds OK for Churches

    Legal News Center 08/09/2007

    Most of the $736,000 the city promised to three churches as part of a program to clean up the city ahead of the 2006 Super Bowl was justified, but some were not, federal judge has ruled.U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn ruled Wednesday that most of the ...

  • Court denies test drugs to dying patients

    Court denies test drugs to dying patients

    Legal News Center 08/08/2007

    [##_1L|1011057646.jpg|width="130" height="90" alt=""|_##]People who are dying do not have the right to obtain unapproved drugs that are potentially lifesaving, even if their doctors say the treatment offers their best hope for survival, a U.S. appeal...

  • Ciprianis Plead Guilty in $10 Million N.Y. Tax Case

    Ciprianis Plead Guilty in $10 Million N.Y. Tax Case

    Legal News Center 08/01/2007

    [##_1L|1219243287.jpg|width="120" height="80" alt=""|_##]The father and son operators of the Cipriani restaurants, which include the Rainbow Room in New York and Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy, pleaded guilty to evading $10 million in state and city bu...

Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?

IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.

Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.

Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.

Business News

St Peters, MO Professional License Attorney Attorney John Lynch has been the go-to choice for many professionals facing administrative sanction. >> read