A jury convicted a former New Orleans police officer of federal corruption charges Friday, finding that the ex-officer solicited kickbacks from a local restaurateur in exchange for falsely reporting stolen paintings and enlisting an art appraiser to inflate their value.
The jury deliberated for eight hours before finding the former officer, Christian Claus, guilty on five counts including wire fraud, conspiracy and lying to the FBI for his role in the insurance fraud scheme after a two-week trial at the federal courthouse on Poydras Street.
The jury did not reach a verdict on sixth count Claus was charged with, mail fraud…