Fraud, Mayor | featured news

New York State Sen. Malcolm Smith and five other politicians pleaded not guilty Tuesday to corruption charges in connection with an alleged plot to buy a line on New York City's mayoral ballot. The allegations revived public concerns about a documented culture of exploitation in Albany that has prompted officials to seek legal recourse to induce change.

More than a decade ago, Ray Nagin was elected mayor of New Orleans on a vow to root out corruption in a city plagued by decades of it. On Friday, the former mayor was indicted on charges he lined his pockets with bribe money, payoffs and gratuities while the chronically poor city struggled to recover from Hurricane Katrina's punishing blow.

The mayor and her teenage daughter have been found shot to death at their home, city officials said Wednesday July 14, 2010. Police discovered the bodies of Coppell Mayor Jayne Peters, 55, and Corrine Peters, 19, Tuesday evening, community information officer Sharon Logan said. Police found no signs of forced entry, Logan said.