Skakedowns Come Naturally To Some Folks
by JAMES GILL - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Whether Joe Impastato was the first public official to see Katrina as an opportunity to stuff relief money into his own pocket may never be known.

But he was mighty quick off the mark -- he was demanding kickbacks within days -- and, in December 2005, he became the first to be indicted. Thursday he pleaded guilty to bribery and lying on his income tax return; the government dropped nine other counts.

Impastato's deal calls for two years in the pen, although that could be reduced if he rats out any other scuzzballs. U.S. Attorney Jim Letten says the investigation is not over, and it is a safe bet that Impastato will sing the best he can.

Impastato was a member of the St. Tammany Parish Council, and chairman of its finance committee, when Katrina struck, but aid for his storm-tossed constituents was not his principal concern.