Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is due back on the witness stand later this morning. Nagin denies taking bribes and sidestepping laws to award contracts to the low bidder.
Ray Nagin looked directly at jurors as he answered questions posed by his attorney, Robert Jenkins.
Did he know, for instance, that city vendor Mark St. Pierre was footing the bill for a Hawaiian vacation through Nagin’s own technology director?
His answer: “I had no idea that this was going on.”
Nagin denied strong-arming an engineering firm for $60,000 he needed for his sinking granite business. He also denied steering city contracts to firms that helped his own business needs.
On cross-examination, Nagin sparred a bit with federal prosecutor Matthew Coman.
Nagin was asked to review several signed contracts and documents the federal government is using to prove its 21-count corruption indictment.
Nagin identified his signatures on several documents now entered into evidence, adding he had “no idea what you guys are presenting.”
Nagin’s cross examination is set to continue when court resumes at 9 a.m.
