Oliver Thomas' Guilty Plea

Here is a link to the court documents in the Oliver Thomas case, including the bill of information and the factual basis for the plea. He stipulated to the factual basis on July 18, 2007, so he and the government kept this quiet for a while. He admits to taking $19,000. I hope he's happy that he threw away his career, reputation and freedom for a lousy $19,000.

Hopefully Pampy Barre and now Oliver Thomas will continue to rat out others who plundered our taxpayer money during the Morial administration and heads will continue to roll. Marc Morial is probably having a little trouble sleeping these days as he waits out the statute of limitations for his crimes in exile in New York.

I shouldn't have to say this, but folks, please don't vote for Thomas for Mayor in 2010 if for some reason he is legally able to run and does run. It shouldn't be necessary to recommend that people not vote for criminals (or incompetents), but the left's track record on this isn't very good.

Oliver Thomas Resigns and Pleads Guilty

Oliver Thomas has resigned from the City Council and pled guilty to demanding illegal payments from a parking lot operator with a City contract. Stan "Pampy" Barre rolled over on Thomas in an attempt to lessen his own sentence for a fraudulent energy savings contract signed by Marc Morial. Who will Barre turn on next? Lefties had big hopes for Thomas to become Mayor in 2010.

Morial Ducks Questions About His Crimes

Former Mayor Marc Morial, who generally stays away from New Orleans while he waits in New York for the statute of limitations to run on all of the crimes he committed as Mayor, made a rare New Orleans appearance this week. Speaking at the Essence Festival, he recklessly compared the government's multibillion dollar response to Hurricane Katrina to the worst civil rights incidents of the 1960s. Then he talked about the non-issue of the "right to return." Last time I checked, there weren't any barbed wire fences and armed guards at the parish line preventing anyone, black or white, from returning to town. Typical lefty hack speech, nothing new there.

The only interesting part was his ducking of questions about his looting of the city treasury:

"I don't want to say anything positive or negative about any of it," he said. "I am proud of what we did when I served as mayor of this city. I'm very, very proud.

"I'm proud of the work and the record that we have. When I'm prepared to give a more thorough sort of post-analysis of my administration, I'd be happy to talk to you. But I'm not prepared to do that."

Asked when that might be, Morial said: "I'm not certain."

Morial Buddy Sentenced to 9 Years for Fraud

Former Mayor Marc Morial's top aide Kerry DeCay has been sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in the City's fraudulent energy savings contract. Morial declined comment for the story, as he continues to hide out in New York until the statute of limitations for his crimes expires.

Morial Slams Danziger 7

In a letter to the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Marc Morial — a former New Orleans mayor — asked that the caucus support a federal civil rights investigation into the "circumstances surrounding the police killing of two unarmed African-American men and the wounding of four others." "What's the matter he doesn't have faith in Eddie Jordan?" said attorney Frank DeSalvo, who represents one of the officers. "I don't know what motivates these people to do what they do. I assume there is a political reason for it."

Two More Morial Cronies Plead Guilty

Two more friends of former Mayor Marc Morial have pled guilty to corruption charges. Restauranteur Stan "Pampy" Barre and Kerry Decay, the city's former director of property management, pled guilty on Sunday morning. They looted a massive energy savings contract that Morial awarded just before leaving office. Everyone has been focusing on the fraud involved in the contracting process, but I have not seen much interest in the contract itself to see what if any energy savings the city received for the millions of dollars paid. My bet is the entire contract was a scam designed solely to enrich the Mayor and his friends and that the energy savings, if any, are minimal.

Morial to Testify or Take the Fifth?

Former Mayor Marc Morial's former associates and administrators, facing federal corruption charges, have subpoenaed the Morial to testify at this month's trial. It is extremely unlikely that Morial will appear, but if so, will he testify or take the Fifth?

Update on Morial Cronies' Crimes

The trial of former Mayor Marc Morial's cronies for fraud in connection with an $81 million scam energy savings contract starts on January 16. The guilty accused are Stan "Pampy" Barre, Kerry DeCay and Reginald Walker.

Morial Relative Begins Prison Sentence

Former Mayor Marc Morial's uncle Glenn Haydel begins his two year sentence for stealing money from the city's public transportation system.