Highlights
- The Eastern District of Louisiana ranks fourth nationally with 430 corruption convictions from 2004 to 2023
- Louisiana leads all states with 2.00 corruption convictions per 10,000 residents
- The New Orleans area had an annual conviction rate of 1.29 over the 20-year study period
- Cato Institute links corruption rates to larger government size and spending
- Louisiana appears in the top corruption rankings across multiple studies
Louisiana Ranks Fourth Nationally in Latest Federal Corruption Analysis
New Cato Institute study places Eastern District of Louisiana among the worst in the nation for public corruption convictions
NEW ORLEANS, La. (KPEL News) — Louisiana’s eastern federal judicial district ranks fourth in the nation for public corruption convictions, according to new analysis from the Cato Institute. The libertarian think tank examined Justice Department data from 2004 to 2023 and found the district covering New Orleans and surrounding parishes recorded 430 total public corruption convictions with an annual rate of 1.29 cases.
New Orleans District Among Nation’s Worst
The Cato study ranked all U.S. federal judicial districts by corruption convictions. Washington D.C. topped the list with 469 total convictions and an annual rate of 3.49, followed by districts in New York and Illinois. Louisiana’s eastern district claimed fourth place.
“New Orleans has long been infamous for state and local corruption,” the Cato report states. The think tank argues that “larger governments with more spending and regulations create more opportunities for bribery and embezzlement.”
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This ranking puts Louisiana in familiar territory. The state consistently appears at the top of corruption measurements, regardless of which method researchers use.
Louisiana Leads States in Per Capita Corruption
Statewide data shows Louisiana’s corruption problem more clearly. Recent analysis shows Louisiana leading all states with 2.00 corruption convictions per 10,000 residents. Mississippi follows at 1.89 per 10,000 people…