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La. ranks third for corruption

Louisiana ranked third in an analysis of the most corrupt states in the United States by the Chicago Tribune. The ranking was based on federal corruption convictions from 1998 to 2007 per capita. The state had 332 convictions during that period, or 7.7 per 100,000 residents. Only Washington, D.C., with 380 convictions or a per capita or 64.6 per 100,000 residents and North Dakota, with 53 convictions and a per capita rate of 8.3, ranked higher. The newspaper notes that North Dakota's small population skews its per capita rate. "But lately we have noticed a shift in the public's attitude toward corruption. It's no longer a spectator sport. People don't want to tolerate it anymore," says Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a corruption watchdog group.

source Baton Rouge Business Report 3/27/09