Federal Grand Jury Indicts New Orleans Mayor

“A federal grand jury returned a criminal indictment Friday of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, capping a years-long corruption investigation that had overshadowed the mayor’s second term,” the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

“The criminal charges — an apparent result of the wide-ranging probe into Cantrell’s spending, political activities and other alleged acts — mark a stunning low point for the Democratic mayor, a former neighborhood organizer who rose eight years ago from a seat on the City Council to New Orleans’ top office. Her ascent shocked the city’s political class and epitomized changes that swept New Orleans politics following Hurricane Katrina.”