CRACKING DOWN MORE?
Louisiana does not have a good track record when it comes to corruption. Based on numbers from a Justice Department report in 2009, Louisiana is the most corrupt state, with 7.67 convictions per 100,000 residents over nine years. U.S. Rep. William Jefferson was busted in a 2005 influence-peddling scheme with, according to an affidavit, "$90,000...in the freezer, in $10,000 increments wrapped in aluminum foil and stuffed inside frozen-food containers." In November of last year, he received a 13-year prison sentence, the longest ever handed to a congressman for bribery. Edwin Edwards served four terms as governor of Louisiana over the period of 1972 to 1996. He beat two dozen corruption investigations. In 2000, the good times stopped rolling; Edwards received a 10-year federal prison sentence for extorting money from casino boat owners seeking licenses.
But did you every think that maybe Louisiana is just cracking down on corruption more than other states?