New Orleans -
A 35 page indictment lays out the federal case against Greg Meffert, his wife Linda Meffert and city contractor Mark St. Pierre.The indictment of Greg Meffert comes on top of a half-a-dozen other recent investigations into alleged public corruption. The pace has been unrelenting.
David Welker, FBI special agent in-charge, says, "We are here for the 7th time in as many weeks looking at folks who again are looking to line their pockets at the expense of the citizens of this area."
U.S. Attorney Jim Letten says corruption is no longer just a big city problem.
Letten says, "We've seen people not just from new orleans. Think about it. We've seen a Parish President from Saint John the Baptist Parish. We've seen a Miami resident down here who was supposed to be from HUD who was supposed to be overseeing the recovery at HANO. We've seen a St. Bernard Parish Judge and two attorneys. We've seen the Mayor of Mandeville."
Rafael Goyeneche with the Metropolitan Crime Commission says the rapid-fire pace of investigations might seem to indicate corruption is out of control, but he says there's another way of looking at it.
Goyeneche says, "We're starting to uncover corruption at a rate that we've never seen before and if we hadn't exposed these cases, if these cases weren't brought by the federal government, it doesn't mean that they wouldn't be there. It would just mean that we're ignorant as to public officials that are stealing from the public."
Goyeneche says with the help of citizens, the feds are making cases.
Yet, it seems as soon as they wrap up one investigation, another one opens.
Letten says, "We haven't won this battle. Anybody who stands up here and says we've won the battle is not correct."
