First corruption arrest made in connection with Katrina cleanup News
First corruption arrest made in connection with Katrina cleanup

[JURIST] Federal prosecutors have charged an official of St. Tammany Parish [official website] with accepting kickbacks to arrange a debris-removal contract as part of the Hurricane Katrina [JURIST news archive] cleanup. St. Tammany Parish Council [official website] member Joseph Impastato is accused of taking $85,000 from a local businessman who had a site available for dumping. The parish awards contracts every year in order to have sites available to dump storm debris; the complaint alleges that Impastato told the businessman that he could arrange for a sub-contract if they agreed to split the proceeds. Friday's New York Times has more.