No Louisiana Politician Indicted This Week

October 14th, 2007 | C-T in "Where Y'at", News, Politics/Crime

Editors’ Note: This article originally appeared in Where Y’at Magazine.

The City of New Orleans was rocked by the news that no New Orleans City Councilman, Louisiana State Legislator, Member of Congress, or Senator has been under scrutiny or indicted this week.

Nobody is facing criminal charges. Nobody is under investigation. Nobody faces a maximum jail sentence of ten years or a fine of up to $250,000, Nobody ironically offered words of thanks to his “friends at the U.S. Attorney’s office,” noting that federal prosecutors treated nobody with “dignity and respect.” There will be no parking lot corporations or plumbing supply LLCs or import-export holding companies dragged through the mud.

And today community leaders are asking: how will we recover from this?

In many ways, U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance might have been speaking Monday for an entire shell-shocked city.

“Shock, disbelief, incredulousness; they are common sentiments,” said Vance.

“The Thomas guilty plea was a body blow to a community that is already reeling under a wave of public corruption but the striking lack of corruption in no less than 7 days is staggering.

“If we’re ever going to recover, we need normalcy.”

Tulane Political Scientist, Adriana Schoen, defines the shocking news as an event horizon in municipal and state political history.
“From Martin Berhman and the Old Regulars, the Americans in New Orleans have had an important heritage of bribery, collusion, kickbacks and out-and-out theft,” she said.

“Long did it, Edwins did it, Morial did it. Furthermore, our leaders are philanders too. Earl Long, Louis Phillipe du Roffignac, David Vitter, Bob Livingston. The list goes on and on.”

In an urgent statement from federal prison, ex Grand Wizard and one time gubernatorial hopeful David Duke said:

“Look all I did was a little mail fraud. A victimless crime. I’m just saying if I was I elected, I would restore the legacy of my political forefathers. I would keep my eyes on the prize for myself and the state that I love. We have a responsibility.”

Federal prosecutors and investigators emphasized that Louisiana does not have a monopoly on public corruption.

“I’m not going to sing the praises of machine politics, but in Boston they elected a mayor from prison,” said Jimmy Denison, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office.

“It’s not unique to Louisiana. It’s just brazen down here. Machine politics in the north will skim the cream. Here in Louisiana, they skim the cream, steal the milk, hijack the bottles, and look for the cow.”

Federal officials have promised help for the Crescent City, offering to release bring ex-Providence, RI Mayor Buddy Seancy from federal prison and bring him to New Orleans to serve as Levee Board President.

But according to famed New Orleans political pundit Silas Lee, it may be too little, too late.

“The fact that it’s been a whole week without even a hint of impropriety has left many citizens wondering just who the people they elected really are.”