N.O. prosecutor moves on to new probes

Doug Simpson

Monday, Nov. 18, 2002 | 11 a.m.

NEW ORLEANS -- Eddie Jordan became familiar around Louisiana as the U.S. attorney in a homburg who successfully prosecuted former Gov. Edwin Edwards on gambling license corruption charges. As this city's new district attorney, he's turning his eye to corruption in the Big Easy.

Jordan won election on Nov. 5 and pledged to invigorate a crackdown on alleged City Hall corruption that became public in July. Supporters of the crackdown, who have been critical of District Attorney Harry Connick, cheered Jordan's victory and expressed hope that Jordan will help clean up New Orleans' notoriously shady government.

"I believe he can hit the ground running and move the investigation forward from a state perspective. That certainly was not the case under the Connick investigation," said Rafael Goyaneche, head of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a nonprofit watchdog group.

Jordan, 50, will take office in January and join a corruption probe that was the talk of the town for months. In July, police arrested 84 people -- some city officials and many taxi drivers -- for alleged malfeasance, bribery and fraud in the licensing of cabs and the operation of the city's vehicle inspection stations.

Police said city officials were taking bribes in exchange for taxi licenses and inspection stickers.

But Connick, the DA since 1974, decided to prosecute just seven of those arrested, throwing out charges against 53 last month. He has not said whether he'll prosecute the remaining 19.

Connick drew sharp criticism for tossing the charges, but responded that police didn't collect enough evidence to merit prosecution.

"These cab drivers were charged with filing false records," Connick wrote in a letter to The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune. "Charges were refused because there was no evidence that any of the cab drivers filed a false public record."

After the election, Jordan was scornful of Connick's handling of the corruption cases. Jordan spoke of "reforming" the district attorney's office, saying Connick wins too few convictions, rejects too many cases and has virtually no communication with police and federal prosecutors.

"It's an office with a number of serious problems," Jordan said.

Jordan said he would look at all the evidence police gave to Connick and make a new determination on whether to bring new charges or renew charges tossed by Connick.

"I'm going to take a fresh, new look at all the evidence Mr. Connick examined. I will follow any leads that have not been followed," Jordan said.

In an interview, Connick said Jordan was unaware of the difference between being a federal prosecutor and district attorney. U.S. prosecutors have wide discretion in deciding whether to take cases, said Connick, himself a former deputy federal prosecutor.

"We have an obligation to take every case that every law enforcement agency brings to us and review it," said Connick. "It's very different."

Connick also said his office had a 90 percent conviction rate.

Jordan, in his trademark hat, became a familiar figure in Louisiana during the 2000 trial of former Gov. Edwards, who was accused of taking bribes in exchange for valuable state casino licenses. Many here were stunned when Jordan won a conviction. The former governor reported to a federal prison in Texas last month for a 10-year term for racketeering, extortion and fraud involving casino licenses.

Jordan quit as U.S. Attorney after seven years and announced last July that he would run for New Orleans district attorney. Connick, 76, announced in March that he would not seek a sixth term.

Jordan campaigned mainly by highlighting his successful prosecutions of violent gang members in the city. He said he would hunt corrupt city officials, but rarely mentioned Edwards' name -- presumably because the former governor remains popular among some New Orleanians.

Jordan now joins investigators in a corruption probe that made headlines when police announced the arrests and Mayor Ray Nagin trumpeted a new era of clean government. But little information has leaked out since. Goyaneche said an investigative team of FBI agents, city police, IRS agents, state troopers and federal prosecutors are working out of New Orleans' FBI building and will likely take their time before announcing results.

"This probe will probably take over a year to begin to unravel any significant wrongdoing by midlevel and upper level officials," Goyaneche said.