Other cities, other investigations

From the Dallas Morning News, July 6, 2005

ATLANTA: Former Mayor Bill Campbell faces trial in September on charges of racketeering, tax evasion and accepting bribes in a probe that has netted corruption convictions against 10 city officials and contractors.

SAN DIEGO: Trial is under way for two city council members accused of taking money from a topless-club owner to ease restrictions on club patrons touching dancers.

NEW ORLEANS: A federal grand jury indicted four people in June in a long-running probe of former Mayor Marc Morial's administration. The three contractors and a former city property management director allegedly skimmed money from a multimillion-dollar city contract. Mr. Morial was not indicted.

MEMPHIS: Four state legislators, a former lawmaker, a lobbyist and a political operative were indicted in May on extortion charges after a two-year FBI operation in which agents created a fake computer recycling company and paid bribes for favorable legislation. The FBI made thousands of hours of surveillance tapes in the so-called Tennessee Waltz case.

PHILADELPHIA: The city's treasurer and two bankers were convicted in May of corruption charges in a conspiracy to trade contracts for cash, gifts and favors. The FBI investigation included bugging the office of Mayor John Street, who was not charged in the case. More than a dozen others were convicted in related federal probes.

HOUSTON: The former director of the city's Building Services Department pleaded guilty in May to accepting bribes for favorable treatment on city contracts, several months after the former mayor's chief of staff pleaded guilty to taking bribes on an airport contract. The investigation, which began in Cleveland, has also extended to Atlanta, New Orleans and California.

CONNECTICUT: Former Gov. John Rowland reported to federal prison camp in April to serve a one-year sentence after admitting to trading access to his office for more than $107,000 in charter flights, vacations and work on his summer cottage.

MONMOUTH COUNTY, N.J.: Eleven public officials, including three mayors, were arrested in February as part of an eight-year FBI undercover investigation probing alleged solicitation of bribes for municipal work