New Orleans

Morial v. Smith & Wesson, Corp., 2000 WL 248364 (La. Civil D. Ct. 2000), rev’d, 785 So.2d 1 (La. 2001), cert. denied 122 S. Ct. 346 (2001)

January 2008 – Roy Rodney, lawyer and advisor to former Mayor Marc Morial, pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of failure to file income tax returns.

September 2007 – Jacques Morial, younger brother of former Mayor Marc Morial, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges of failing to file federal income tax returns

June 2004 – Restaurateur and Morial pal Stan "Pampy" Barré and former city property management director Kerry DeCay, received federal indictments for allegedly skimming hundreds of thousands of dollars from a massive energy-management contract with Johnson Controls Inc. that was quietly led by Mayor Morial toward the end of his eight-year tenure.  Barré and Walker were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, three counts of mail fraud, five counts of money laundering and one count of obstruction of justice.

Chicago

City of Chicago v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp. et al., No. 98 CH 15596 (Ill. Cir. Court, Cook County 2000), rev’d and remanded, 785 N.E.2d 16 (Ill. App. 1st Dist, 2002), rev’d and aff’d, 821 N.E2d 199 (Ill. 2004), reh’g denied Jan. 24, 2005

February 2007 – Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago is added as defendant to federal civil lawsuit accusing city officials of covering up torture of dozens of criminal suspects by police officers on South Side in 1970s and 1980s; Daley, who is seeking his sixth term as mayor, was Cook County's top prosecutor in early 1980s

September 2005 – City officials under Mayor Daly indicted for rigging the hiring and promotion process in Chicago City Hall.  The indictment alleged they and other schemers ran the sham hiring system to give jobs and promotions to “pre-selected” individuals.  People were awarded jobs and promotions in exchange for their work on behalf of the political campaigns of candidates for mayor, alderman, Congress, statewide office and the Illinois General Assembly.

Bridgeport

Ganim v. Smith & Wesson Corp., et al., 1999 WL 1241909 (Conn. Super. 1999), aff’d, 780 A.2d 98 (Conn. Dec. 10, 2001)

March 2003 – Former Mayor Joseph Ganim was convicted of 16 counts of racketeering, bribery, extortion, mail fraud and tax fraud.  Ganim was given 9 years in jail and ordered pay a fine of $150,000 and restitution of $148,617.

New York State

People of The State of New York v. Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., et al., No. 402586/00 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County 2001), aff’d 309 A.D.2d 91 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dept. 2003)

March 2008 – Eliot Spitzer, former New York State Attorney General and former New York State Governor, implicated in a prostitution ring.  Federal prosecutors have yet to decide whether to bring charges.

Camden City

City of Camden v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp. et al., No. CAM-L-4510-99 (N.J. Super. Ct. Law Div., Camden County, June 21, 1999)

March 2000 – Mayor Milton Milan indicted by federal grand jury on 14 of 19 charges of corruption, ranging from laundering $65,000 in drug money and taking $30,000 to $50,000 in bribes from organized crime leaders to staging a break-in at his former construction business to collect insurance money.  Mayor Milan was subsequently sentenced to 7 years and three months in prison and will remain under court supervision for three years after release.  Mayor Milan is now the third Camden mayor in 20 years to be found guilty of corruption.

Newark

Mayor Sharpe James v. Arcadia Machine & Tool, et al., No. ESX-L-6059-99 (N.J. Super. Ct., Law Div., Dec. 10, 2001)

April 2008 – A federal jury convicted former Mayor Sharpe James of fraud for conspiring to steer the sale of city land to his mistress, who reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit by quickly reselling the land. James could serve four to seven years in prison. James could still face another trial on allegations that he spent more than $58,000 on himself and several women using city-issued credit cards during personal trips and vacations to such places as Martha’s Vineyard, Rio de Janeiro, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Philadelphia

City of Philadelphia v. Beretta U.S.A. Corp., 126 F.Supp.2d 882 (E.D. Pa. 2000), aff’d, 277 F.3d 415 (3d Cir. Jan. 11, 2002)

2004 – Under Mayor John Street, a former city treasurer, an influential lawyer, two Commerce Bank executives and eight others face charges of fraud and extortion after the federal probe into whether political supporters were favored in awarding contracts for city business.
2006 – Mayor James Street’s older brother, Milton, charged with fraud and tax evasion in connection with his business dealings at Philadelphia International Airport.

Cleveland

White v. Smith & Wesson, Corp. et al., 97 F. Supp.2d 816 (N.D. Ohio 2000)

May 1991 – A grand jury indicted four people in connection with real estate partnerships that involved former Mayor Michael R. White, but declined to indict the Mayor.  The Mayor was investigated for possible unlawful interest in a public contract.

Atlanta

City of Atlanta v. Smith & Wesson, Corp. et al., 99VS0149217J, aff’d, 543 S.E.2d 16 (Ga. 2001), rev’d, Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. et al. v. City of Atlanta, 560 S.E.2d 525(Ga. Ct. App. Feb. 13, 2002)

August 2004 – Former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell was indicted on racketeering, bribery and wire fraud charges following a five-year federal investigation into corruption during his years at City Hall.  Campbell was accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions, cash, travel and home improvements in exchange for city contracts.  Campbell is sentenced to two and a half years in prison and fined $6,300 for tax evasion.

Los Angeles and San Francisco

The People of the State of California v. Arcadia Machine & Tool, Inc., et al., J.C.C.P. No. 4095 (Cal. Super. Ct., San Diego County, October 4, 2000) (3 cases consolidated)

Melvyn Weiss and William S. Lerach, former partners of the law firm Milberg Weiss -- the firm responsible for representing numerous cities (including Los Angeles and San Francisco) in litigation against lawful firearms manufacturers -- each pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay more than $11.4 million in illegal kickbacks to plaintiffs in about 180 cases spanning more than 25 years plaintiffs and then lying about it repeatedly to the courts.  The frivolous lawsuits filed by Milberg Weiss, seeking to hold lawful firearms manufacturers responsible for the actions of criminals, led to the passage of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.